Good morning on this Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend. On the occasion of this special holiday when we remember those who served in our armed forces and particularly those whose lives where sacrificed in that service, we should stop and give thanks to God for our freedoms and those who sacrificed so much that we might have and enjoy them. Thank God for those so many who gave so much for so many. The cemeteries are filled with tombstones with inscriptions marking their final resting places. When you visit the cemetery on Arsenal Island and view those stones, you may be overwhelmed by the number from so many conflicts in that final resting place alone. When I was in my late teens I registered for the draft and prepared to be called to enter the military and go to Viet Nam. I received a high draft number in the draft lottery and was never called, but I was prepared to serve if I would have been. Many of my friends went and died serving their country. I miss them and think of all they missed by having their young lives end so early. Marriage, children, and grandchildren are just a few of the relationships most of them forever lost. I realize how one of them could have been me and it makes me appreciate what they sacrificed even more. May we never get over our appreciation and gratitude for them and to them for what they did. Thank you Lord for every one of them. "Greater love has no man than this than to lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). How much more to give his life for strangers?
Tomorrow I plan to preach the final message in the 2007 Prophecy Update series. The message will focus on what to watch for in current events and where to access the information. It will be a very useful and practical message. I hope to see you there.

Pastor Brown