What are you celebrating this Memorial Day weekend? I am sure that you will be celebrating a three day weekend. You will probably be celebrating the coming of summer (at least those of us in the Northwest.) What I am wondering, is when I mention Memorial Day do you think of the purpose for this holiday?

Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day, dates back to May 30, 1868 when it was enacted to honor Union soldiers that died in the Civil War. The 30th of May was set aside as a time to visit and decorate the grave to honor those that had fallen. “Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other family members who have died.” (www.wikipedia.com, Memorial Day)

It was after World War I that the commemoration was expanded to include all fallen soldiers from any war or military action. The alternative name, Memorial Day, was first used in 1882 and would be more commonly used after World War II. It became the official name by Federal Law in 1967. The Uniform Holiday Bill passed on June 28, 1968 moved Memorial Day (President’s Day and Veterans Day) to a fixed Monday to allow for a three day weekend. Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday of May since the law took effect in 1971.

As we consider the significance of Memorial Day (and several other National Holidays) for the follower of Jesus, it is hard to find a Biblical parallel; however, the Scripture do have much to say about “remembering” the past. In each of the passages that come to mind, we are called to remember God’s provision and deliverance (Deuteronomy 8 and Psalm 106), and even the leaders who have modeled a Godly life (Hebrews 13:7). We also know that all of the Old Testament Feasts served as a reminder of Jehovah’s provision in the past while pointing to a future fulfillment in the coming Messiah. Even the New Testament celebration of the Lord ’s Table (based on the Passover feast) remembers the work of Christ on the Cross while looking forward to His return (1 Corinthians 11:26). And in the seventh verse of Romans 13 the Bible also speaks of the importance for you as a follower of Christ to participate in holidays like Memorial and Veteran days. “”Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” Romans 13:7 ESV

The purpose for this three day weekend is not to celebrate the beginning of summer, or even a time to get away, but to remember those whom have given their lives for our great country. You can honor those whom have given their lives by offering a prayer of thanks at one of your family meal times. It would be appropriate to send an email to a military widow(er), or parent, thanking them for the sacrifice of their spouse/ child. It would be even better to take a family field trip Monday to visit a local veterans’ cemetery. Memorial Day is a time to remember those that have given their lives for our country. Pastor Joe

The following newsletter came today and after reading it, thought about all the dedicated parents who are part of our GFI family and the ‘difference’ you and your children are making. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like much and you may even think, ‘is it all worth it? Yes, our family is ‘different’ but are we making a difference?’ The fact that as parents and children you are committed to ‘putting on Christ’ each day, being that ‘living epistle’ that Paul speaks of, light in a dark world. Remember, none of the people we read about in the Bible [except Jesus] were aware of the difference they would make for millennia to come. They were ‘ordinary people, used by God to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom sake’ Be encouraged and continue being a ‘difference maker’ in your home and community, God will take care of the rest. Blessings, Anne Marie

We all appreciate “difference makers”. The hope held by the American people is that our newly elected president and his team will make a difference! Those of you that are into football are watching the activities of free agency and wait for the big April event, the NFL Draft, with the hopes that their team will select a “difference maker”. So the question is, are you a “difference maker”?

We should not be surprised that many of the “difference makers” both in the real world and the Bible are/were common people. Several years ago, I heard a statement about the world being run by “C” students. As I teach through the Bible in our Real Bible Institute, I’ve been impressed with all the common people that made a difference for God! Luke has impressed me this past week, as we are studying his gospel. While some may have a more difficult time relating to him due to his professional manner (as a doctor), he was still a difference maker.

In many ways, Luke was an outsider and didn’t really “fit the mold”. The fact that his parents were Greek made him the only Greek writer of a New Testament book (In Colossians 4:10-14 he is not identified as one of “the circumcision”, or as a Jew). His heritage would also have made him an outsider during much of the first century Judeo-centric church. In addition, he did not possess a Jewish/Christian pedigree, and while we believe that he was similar in age to Jesus and Paul, it is doubtful that he was born into a believing home. Thus, it is very possible that Luke was an adult convert of Paul’s ministry.

Here are two lessons from Luke on being a difference maker:

He ministered. Luke did not allow himself to focus on his limitations; he just did it. He did not get hung up on who he was. He did not allow other gospel accounts to keep him from writing to an influential gentile friend, Theophilus. Neither did He allow his lack of pedigree keep him from writing a two-volume work on the life of Christ and the expansion of the church. The Gospel of Luke and Acts came to comprise 28% of the New Testament, his gospel being the longest work in the New Testament. He was also responsible for more New Testament content than any other author.

We also know that Luke was faithful. He rolled up his sleeves and got involved. He was a man who kept ministering through the ups and downs of life and Christian ministry. His use of “we” and “us” in Acts (16:10-ff) indicate that he joined Paul on his second missionary journey in the early A.D. 50’s, and continued to minister with Paul for the rest of his life, (almost 15 years; 2 Timothy 4:11).

What a testimony! Think of the people that have made a difference in your life… Chances are, they were just like Luke. What a challenge! How often do we fail to make a difference because we do not even try? How often do we give up or move on before God has a chance to work! You and I are no different than Luke or even Mark. Some of us have been raised in Christian homes and others of us came to know Christ later, but we can each make a difference. How will you make a difference this year?

- Pastor Joe

.  .  .  to the Republic for which is stands .  .  .

In the Growing Kids God’s Way Epilogue, we put forth a belief that a fundamental relationship exist between parenting and the preservation or destruction of our society. The principles shared in Growing Kids and other places aim first and foremost to help parents glorify God through their families. Yet, the same principles governing family conduct are also investments in the preservation of our Nation.

The moral and political destiny of any society will always be in the hands of the present parenting generation. By that statement, I do not mean to imply that God is not in control, but rather that His sowing/reaping principles are at work (Matthew 7:17-20; Galatians 6:7). What children become in the future will largely be a reflection of what their parents believe today. So the Nation follows. The family is the values-generating institution of our society. Once it becomes philosophically humanistic, there is little likelihood that it will return to the values that once made our Republic strong.

Biblical ethics clarifies our purpose in life by defining who we are and our duty to prepare the next generation to morally influence society. There is little hope for our collective future without a biblical sense of otherness, fairness, compassion, honesty, and justice. Can a Republic survive without biblical ethics? Can biblical ethics influence a society without a strong Christian witness maintained by each parenting generation?

America at one time had a collective moral conscience and our citizenship lived within a moral consensus. Biblical values guided that accord. That does not mean we were a Christian Nation, but it does mean we allowed a God-centered world view to guide our morality by providing fundamental virtues and values that had their origin in life, not cosmic chance. The more we lose our moral consensus as a Nation, the more we splinter into subgroups, each vying for power or striving to form coalitions of power. To maintain social stability more and more external laws are needed to replace the vacuum created by the loss of common values ─ common values that were at one time, intrinsically part of our commonness.

Our country has one of the greatest legal instruments ever written by man-the United States Constitution. It guarantees individual freedom to live without government intrusion. As great as it is, the instrument quickly loses value if we remove the moral foundations on which our liberty is based. Alter any underlying principles on which the Constitution was constructed and you alter the meaning of the Constitution. If we redefine the moral basis on which our liberty is granted, we inevitably redefine liberty itself. As each generation redefines the values that forged the Constitution they change the public character of authority that represents the Constitution. When that happens, the very premise of what a “Republic” is gets lost or muted.

We believe any generation of children not giving a working understanding behind the values that make a Republic what it is, is destined to lose the gift of true liberty. When it comes to parenting and values, we can help. When it comes to teaching your children the meaning of “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of American and to the Republic for which it stands. . .” here is a resource to consider: Our Republic

One of the most memorable and talked about scenes in the Growing Kids God’s Way video series can be found during Chapter 8 – Character Development: Respect for Peers, Property, and Nature.  The scene shows a shopping cart driven by the wind making its way towards a car and the lady in the driver’s seat of the car can do nothing to stop it.  I was reminded of this GKGW lesson when I read the post that Michael Josephson wrote titled Shopping Carts and Rationalizations.  Anne Marie Ezzo sent me a link to Mr. Josephson’s article a couple of weeks ago and suggested that I review it.

In this article Mr. Josephson not only reminded me of the famous Growing Kids God’s Way video scene, but he reminded me of how these small actions like returning shopping carts can become teachable moments with our children and help build family identity.  A dad in Mr. Josephson’s story was trying to explain to his son why it was important to return the shopping cart.

After a moment, he said, “Son, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who put their carts away and those who don’t. We’re the kind who return their shopping cart. Now go put it back.”

Mr. Josephson goes on to say:

This story isn’t just about grocery carts. It’s about doing the right thing in a world that seems to promote rationalizations and excuses that demean or trivialize simple acts of virtue…People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.”

The last line reminds me of a favorite scripture, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT)

A Pre-conference Symposium was something new and seemed well received. Thursday evening was great fun and fellowship with Growing Kids leaders and alumni competing in a GK Trivia game . . . Ohio delegates did well and tied for first place.

Friday morning Joey and Carla Link, GFI National Ministry Overseers presented teaching on the three ‘Transitions” that we experience during our parenting as we move our children through the phases of parenting. This teaching gave us all things to contemplate in regards to where we are now and what we are to work toward in training our children for the future.

JOEY AND CARLA LINK TEACHING WORKSHOPS

The Ezzo’s opened the conference with joy, giving updates on the ministry-at-large. It’s helpful to see how God is furthering His kingdom through this ministry around the world.

Gary Ezzo gave two Keynote addresses during the conference – Here are some of the thoughts he shared:

1. “Holiness is a Lifestyle” – in biblical parenting it’s God’s perspective that matters! Holiness empowers! Once you’re given a glimpse of God’s unseen power elsewhere, you begin to see His power in you. Our perspective can limit God or unfold His power and blessings. Key passage Luke 6.

2. “A Look at Perspective” – Perspective should be considered since perspective can affect our Hope. Consider what is defining your thinking and influencing your perspective. God turns periods (.) into commas (,)—He’s done it many times in scripture—a wonderful example is the death of Christ–which seemed like the end–a period, but was really only a comma–then came resurrection Sunday.

Other news:

The new curriculum is underway and slated to be launched next year. It’s said to be ‘cutting edge’ to engage the new generation of parents that are seeking parenting wisdom. Training will be provided on how to best use the new material at next year’s national. Watch the GrowingKids.org website or our local GrowingKidsNEOhio.org site for conference locations and details which will be posted as they are announced.

It was an honor for us to be asked to teach two workshops. We were asked to develop a new workshop entitled “Building Character in your Children”. We also presented one we’ve taught before, with two of our children, titled “How to Teach your Children to Understand the Bible”. God taught us greatly in preparing for these presentations.

Other insightful workshops:

How to Keep your Children Pure in a World that Isn’t

Teaching your Children to be ‘Money-Wise’

Dating, Courtship and Mating – What works?

Topics of Turmoil for Typical Teens and How to Tiptoe through Them

The Key to Unlocking your Child’s Heart

AND MORE . . . sound interesting? Watch for conference details and plan to attend next summer!

One of the ongoing highlights for us personally as we attend these conferences is seeing our ‘GFI Family’ from all over the country. There’s a sweetness in fellowship with the like-minded community that we want all to experience. We hope you can be a part of this wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth and encouragement next year.

Grateful to Be – In His Service,

Don and Karen Kurtz

Photos by Amy Link