Our hearts are touched by the recent tragedies in Boston; Texas; and now Oklahoma. The heartbreaking news of so many fatalities from the massive tornado in Moore, OK—including children killed at their elementary school—is almost impossible to bear. We continue to offer prayers for strength and comfort and healing.
Churches of Christ disaster relief ministries have already been on the scene in these areas with help and hope brought in the name of the Lord. If you want to help financially you can make a check out to the church here at South Fork and mark it for disaster relief and we will send that along to the churches working with them.
This past Sunday was a real blessing as we honored our own graduating high school seniors. We are thankful for these young people and their families, and appreciate the great blessing they have been to us and will be to others throughout their lives. David had a very fine message for them and for all of us during our sermon time. A special thanks to Brandi and P.A. Blaylock and to all who helped make this special day such a success.
As we go through the graduation time, and mix it with thoughts and prayers for children and parents as our Ephesians study continues this Sunday, here is a twitter message sent by someone as a memorable line from a graduation speech.
“Go forth with your dreams & teach our children to reach their dreams.”
This sounds really nice, and is exactly (I guess) what we would expect today from a graduation speech. As I thought about this memorable line, however, it kept coming back to me that it wasn’t complete.
What’s missing? Calling on them to teach our children to dream good dreams to follow and reach.
For our society, more and more it doesn’t matter what the dream is. If that’s what they want, then they should be encouraged to reach and attain it. What others believe is right and worthwhile—including what God says about our values and how we live our lives and what dreams we should pursue—matters little if at all.
The Bible—including the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth—actively offers guidance and direction.
As we consider the tragic loss of life and destruction of property we have seen over these past several days and weeks, it’s right to evaluate our own hearts and lives and ask ourselves if we are truly living based on what is really important and what really matters. Are we basing our lives on the will and Word of God? Are we teaching these values to our children through our words and the example of our lives?
With Memorial Day weekend upon us, we are reminded and grateful for all who have sacrificed so much to preserve our freedom and to help and serve others. What would you risk your life to do? What sacrifices—if any—are you making in your own life right now to obey the Lord and further the cause of Christ? What does that say about what is really important to you?