Death of a Soldier: A Tribute of Honor

We lost one of our own last week...one of the good ones.

Henry Bragg sailed home early Saturday morning. But he left something behind.

A legacy of honor. It can’t be buried; it won’t be entombed. Henry’s life of integrity and value will live on in a place of highest honor in our memories.

Because he honored others, from the least to the Greatest, we return the favor to him. We join in the celebration of his victory, of the laying aside of his fighting uniform, to join his King in the homeland.

No more weariness; no more pain.

The battle is over.

Look at one tiny snapshot: of those asked to participate in his funeral service on Tuesday, to speak words or pray blessings or sing songs, there was an overwhelmingly common reply:

“It would be an honor to do so for Henry.”

Repeated so often, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Not only was Henry a patriotic sailor from World War II, but he was a valiant warrior in the on-going battle we all fight between flesh and spirit. His greatest joy came in honoring his Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ.

As stories were shared at his funeral, this theme trumped all others. Henry knew how to glorify the Lord through his conversations with friends as well as strangers, through his defense of the Truth, and through the giving of his energy, finances, and time.

At Maple Hill Cemetery on that rainy Tuesday afternoon, the ceremonial U.S. flag covering Henry’s casket was folded, saluted, and handed to Henry’s wife, Gloria. This sentiment was expressed to her:

"On behalf of the President of the United States, a grateful nation and a proud Navy, I present this flag to you in recognition of your husband’s years of honorable and faithful service to his country."

May it be our honor to echo this same expression for our fellow comrade, Henry Bragg:

"On behalf of the family of grateful believers in the heavenly Kingdom, we recognize our brother’s years of honorable and faithful service to His God."

With amazing grace, his precious Lord took his hand. And so it is well with his soul.

He rests in peace. On the winning side. We will miss him.

~ In memory and honor of
Henry V. Bragg
December 14, 1923, to May 24, 2008

The Tower of Westin

I’m on the 45th floor.

Only the 45th . There are 73.

As I peer over downtown Atlanta from my room at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, I realize I am above almost everything else. Even among most of the other skyscrapers, I’m higher. Lights blink atop summits, warning aerial passersby: “I am here! I am here!” Looking down, matchbox cars speed along toothpick roads.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and
a tower with its top in the heavens…."
~ Genesis 11:4a

How much higher can we go? This Westin opened in 1976 as the tallest hotel in the world (over 700 feet), and was Atlanta’s tallest building for 11 years.

The tallest man-made structure now is a skyscraper (still under construction) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It already claims 2,000 feet, and is still climbing to some secretive height. It will house 30,000 homes, nine hotels, a park, a mall, and even a lake.

"…and let us make a name for ourselves."
~ Genesis 11:4b

But competition is stiff. Other buildings, already under construction or proposed, brag of greater heights upon completion. The "Ultima" Tower proposed for San Francisco would be over 2 miles high and house one million residents. (Interestingly, it is modeled from a God-design—African termite nests).

How much more attention do we need? Who will be the highest, the one looking down on all others, the one looked up to by all others? How much more can we accomplish with our concrete and steel, glass and aluminum?

Will our towers reach Heaven?

We can never reach God by building ourselves up. He never expected us to go higher and higher and get louder and louder to grab his attention. He doesn’t want us to work our way up to Him—He chose, and continues to choose, to come down to us.

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
~ Genesis 11:5

Or are we trying to BE gods ourselves? With enough engineering skill and construction know-how, we can figure it out on our own. “Me do it all by m’self.”

Well, sometimes it appears we CAN do it.

I look at new buildings going up outside my window. Cranes over 500 feet high are circling other buildings, gently placing more concrete blocks higher and higher. People all around are at work within the completed cells of the skyscraper office buildings. Functioning. Running. Efficient. A testament to man’s ability?

Then GOD scattered them from there all over the world.
And they had to quit building the city.
~ Genesis 11:8

But the idols we erect to ourselves in our high places are not safe.

On a Friday night two months ago, March 14, an F2 tornado shattered the illusion of our independence. The Westin hotel lost over 100 windows and the top swayed several feet.

We may look powerful, but we’re vulnerable. To a suicide pilot. To a dropped lit cigarette. To a growling earth-tummy.

To a furtive glance. To a prideful boast. To a grumbling tongue.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to Him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
~ Matthew 4:8,9

The devil knows what tempts us on our high mountains. He glitters the gold of the world before us, promising it is ours, if we only will fall down and worship him.

Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
~ Matthew 4:10

So though I enjoy the view on this visit and benefit from the God-given ingenuity of men smarter than me, I won’t seek satisfaction in them. I admire the created things, and even marvel at them, but I save my worship and fullest adoration for the Creator.

I zoom down the high-speed elevator to ground level. From the altitude of standing on my own two feet, He still lifts me high upon a Rock that is higher than I, inside the strongest Tower against all enemies.

My satisfaction doesn’t come from making a name for myself, but on making much of His Name.

Because at my lowest point, on my knees, I reach the Highest.

~ Lisa

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high?
~ Psalm 113:3-5

You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
~ Psalm 97:9

The Pleasure of Pride

Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might,
let not the rich man boast in his riches,
but let him who boasts boast in this,
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD who practices
steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."
~ JEREMIAH 9:23-24

The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching.
If there is an itch one does want to scratch;
but it is much nicer to have neither the itch nor the scratch.
As long as we have the itch of self-regard
we shall want the pleasure of self-approval;
but the happiest moments are those when we forget our
precious selves and have neither but have everything else
(God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and the sky) instead.
~ C. S. LEWIS

Humble yourselves… under the mighty hand of God
that He may exalt you at the proper time.
~ 1 PETER 5:6

What Is Freedom?

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

~ Galatians 5:1

To close each Wednesday night’s Galatians class this quarter, we join hearts in prayer, beseeching the Lord to send the newly-learned bits of knowledge deeper into our souls.

For knowledge itself is not our end goal—it is only a means to increase faith in the One who sets us free from ourselves.

This past Wednesday was a pivotal class with much discussion on what freedom is and is not.

Father,

We don’t understand freedom in its fullness. We sample it; we like it; we want more. Thank you for it.

But we can’t comprehend it. It seems simple in theory, yet it is fuzzy in practice. It is our present reality, yet a promised inheritance to come. It is our eternal Sabbath rest, yet it coexists with our active struggle against sin.

Its opposite? Slavery—but even that can masquerade as freedom. It sits “ME” on the throne as an illusion of liberty. We’re deceived by its false promise until we discover we’re never more enslaved than when we’re dying in the midst of self-will and self-worship.

Freedom, on the other hand, means JESUS is on the throne. He alone leads us to Life. His work eliminated our sin liability, so we live debt-free.

How can we owe you nothing, God? Will our pride let us accept that? Are you really that good, and do you really love us that much?

Grant us your wisdom to better appreciate our freedom; give us courage to live more fully in it; plant our feet more firmly on it.

Freedom is not just a concept to us; it is a Person. And his name is Jesus. We praise you for your priceless grace.

Always yours,
Amen

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
~ Titus 3:4-5

2008 Prayer for Our Nation

"The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped."
~ Psalm 28:7

Today is the 57th Annual National Day of Prayer. This year's theme is "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield".

2008 Prayer for Our Nation

Holy Father, in a world where so many are hungry,
You have given us food in abundance;

In a world where so many are hurting,
You offer to bind up our wounds;

In a world where so many are lonely,
You offer friendship to every heart;

In a world longing for peace,
You offer hope.

Yet, we are so stubborn and resistant.
Have mercy upon us, Lord.

Our nation is at a crossroads this year;
we look to you to be our strength and shield.

Please give us the guidance to elect one who will honor you
and to respond to the wisdom from above
so that our hope may be renewed and our blessings be treasured.

In God's holy name.

~ Dr. Ravi Zacharias
2008 Honorary Chairman,
National Day of Prayer Task Force