Veterans Day

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“I guess I do it for her,” he said, pointing to his wife, “because it’s, (cancer), got me." Smiling at his bride, he said, "But I got fifty-one years with her.” He said, “I still wake up a lot of nights and I’m there, (Vietnam). She and I both have had to work through a lot.”
He was drafted, forced into war. And it hasn’t ended. But according to him, it’ll be over soon. Sadly for some, that war never ends. I did all that I could think to do in the moment. I thanked this American hero for his service.
There are too many with stories like his.
Like so many others, I have not served in the military but, I have infinite respect for those who have and do. This conversation reinforced that feeling. Great men and women serve all of their lives, for the effort of that service never ends as they suffer pain and disability, not to mention the sorrow filled memories of those brothers and sisters that were lost. Yet for most, they have no regrets. Freedom is indeed, not free.
While surrounded by uncertainty daily, we have constant reminders to celebrate the sacrifices of men and women, families who gave all. And, are still giving. I guess I could’ve waited to post this. But, if you are reading this today, thank you. Please know that because of you, I am extremely proud to be an American.
For that, I am eternally grateful. Happy Veteran's Day!
God bless you, dear friends, and God bless the United States of America!
-Pastor Butch
“The end of something is better than its beginning.
Patience is better than pride.”
-Ecclesiastes 7:8

The sunset behind our church tonight.
Photo taken by Scott Sexton
 

135  Winstead Dr. 

Danville VA 

(434) -792-5999

Numbers 13:16 - "These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua."

JoomVerses by: TerryWCarter.com

Weekly Encouragement 

6/22/25

written by Frank Gupton

Do you tend to rely heavily on your own thinking and planning?  When feeling anxious about something, your mind goes into overdrive!  Beware of terusting in yourself which is foolish.  Instead walk in wisdom and you will be kept safe.  The essence of wisdom is to trust in Christ more than in yourself of other people.  He stands ready to guide you with His counsel, so bring all your concerns to Him.  You can wisper, JESUS to help you stay foucsed!  Proverbs 28:26 "He who trust in himself is a fool,  but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."
 
 
 
I LOVE THIS REMINDER
WE ALL NEED A REMINDER SOMETIMES
 
You ever hear someone say, “I just can’t seem to catch a break?” We see people who look as if they are on top of the world but we don’t know the struggles, the investments nor the compromises that they made to get there. We just know that they are there and we are not.
 
The wicked never seem to grasp that the “breaks” they are getting is through a carefully crafted plan of the enemy to keep them in the grip of sin. Not a revolutionary strategy. Satan keeps it simple because it works.
 
The flip side of this is the believer. They have accepted Jesus and trusted Him with all they are. They learn quickly that patience produces character, and character produces hope. It is in this hope that the days of destructive behavior will pass. That the emptiness and anguish associated with life here will be eased because we have made peace our leader and righteousness our ruler.
 
Only then does God promise that, “The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” -Isaiah 60:22
 
Let me break it down for you. Prosperity that comes through crookedness is not lasting. It’s a hard fall from the penthouse to the outhouse. But for those who wait on the Lord and His time when blessings come, they are lasting and sustainable.
 
“Stop comparing your first step to someone who’s reached the top of the staircase.”
 
I guess some folks take the elevator to the top.
I think I’ll take the stairs.
 
-Pastor Butch
 
Somewhere and at some time, the “thing” has happened to all of us. Then, in what seemed the nick of time somebody stepped into help.
 
This story is the perfect example of that “Somebody” that took the hit for me. He didn’t have to. He just did.
Let’s not insult Him by making him less than proud of us.
 
Wet Pants
 
There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.
 
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'
 
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.
 
As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.
 
The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'
 
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out..... All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.
 
But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. ‘You've done enough, you klutz!'
 
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, ‘You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'
 
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good..
 
Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can.
 
“Never grow weary of doing good!”
 
Thank you Pete Gammon, for this post. It reminded me of a time that selfishness was an exception rather than the rule.
I pray that everyone who read this to the end, remember their “Susie”. We all had one.
 
I pray the Lord bless your home, your health and your wealth this day and every day. In the precious name of Jesus.