Convertibles, Typewriters, and Pretty Girls

I remember convertibles, typewriters and pretty girls staring pensively from windows at the high school.

Cool fall weather. The smell of smoke coming from the grill where hamburgers were being cooked at the football stadium where the Tigers played their home games.

The rambling ramshackle house where I grew up enters into my mind and I hear the footsteps of memories walking towards me.

My memories walk up to me and tell me how easy it was back then, but I still remember. I remember thinking how hard it was for me. Even today, all these many years later, I still think life is hard a lot of the time.

I am sure that everyone feels that way sometimes. I must remember, however, that God has always reached down and lifted me up when I just couldn’t push myself up off the floor. He takes my frown, turns it upside down and makes it into a smile.

I know that, years later, I will reflect back on the hard times I had and smile and say, “That was easy.” So will you.

Life is hard.

No. Life is easy.

The truth is that life is life. I know there are good times and there are bad times. It’s all a part of life, but if we keep our minds focused on Christ, we can still lift our heads up high and smile.

Written by Jacob Bembry, August 18, 2012

Let’s Roll

As we watched the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon be attacked, and the plane go down in Pennsylvania 18 years ago today, we were stunned, but only momentarily. America’s brave men and women went into action. Firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, policemen, dispatchers, military personnel, and civilians, who may have been overlooked before, became heroes that day. I am so very grateful for them and America’s response to the heinous attacks on our soil. We stand watchful and aware today, but we don’t quake in fear and we kneel to no one, except God Himself, no matter what some may think. Remember the rallying cry of Todd Beamer that day, who said as he headed towards his death, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll!” Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll! “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God” Philippians 1:27-28