The Supreme Court made an important ruling last week regarding the 2^nd Amendment as it relates to private gun ownership.  They ruled that the United States Constitution does support the right of private citizens to own firearms.  The amazing thing about this decision is the closeness of the vote.  It was 5 in favor and 4 against.

There was a bit of coverage for this decision the day it happened.  The USA Today website had a front page article, there were a few commentaries about it, and I saw several long comment threads following blog posts.

The next day though, it was almost forgotten news.  And this week it has been completely forgotten.  We’re back to the floods, the election, and Wimbledon.

If the vote had swung the other way, this wouldn’t be the case.  Only a few people have proposed what the consequences would have been had the Supreme Court ruled the other way: that private citizens of the U.S. DO NOT have the right to own and bear arms. The only word that comes to mind?

CHAOS

If the ruling had gone the other way, it would have been chaos.  Since the time of the Mayflower (almost), the residents of this land have owned firearms.  This isn’t just a constitutional issue; it’s a social, cultural, economic, political, historical, and military issue.  The magnitude of what would have happened had the vote went the other way cannot be completely comprehended.

Whether you support the decision or not the consequences of a different vote would have been the same - chaos.  It is not a conservative or liberal issue as some make it out.  I know as many Democrats as Republicans who are gun owners.

Yes, Yes, Yes – I know.  An opposite decision would not have meant the immediate gathering up of all privately owned firearms in the United States. It wouldn’t have meant that local sheriff’s departments would be knocking on doors and throwing guns in borrowed strait trucks to be recycled (after all, they couldn’t throw them away with the price of steel as high as it is).  It wouldn’t mean that grandpa couldn’t take his grandson out to the back forty and plink around with the handed-down .22 rifle.

However, the potential would have been there for those things to happen.  Potentially, municipalities could have completely outlawed private ownership of firearms in their jurisdiction and been within the U.S. Constitution to do it.

There are few issues which have as little middle ground as gun ownership .  It falls into the category of abortion, freedom of speech, and the New York Yankees.  You are just either for it or not. It’s a super-emotionally-charged issue; with either side rarely listening to concerns or reason of the other.

Here are some things I suspect would have happened if the vote had been reversed: 

1)      An effort to get a new constitutional amendment supporting private gun ownership would have immediately been started.

2)      Millions of gun owners would be standing on their legislator’s porch the next morning.

3)      The “million man” march on Washington which happened a few years ago would be dwarfed by the 50 million man march which I estimate would have take about 3 weeks to organize.

4)      Every gun owner in America, if they hadn’t already, would join the NRA: from rednecks with buzz haircuts to corporate executives with $100 hairdos.  Much to the NRA’s delight and dismay.  After all, they’ve been sending invitations to these guys for 25 years warning of this very thing.

5)      Fathers would set their sons on their knee and begin stories about how this day was historic and one of his daddy’s new goals in life would be to make sure his sons would have the right to own guns when they grew up.

6)      Every safety officer would purchase a Kevlar vest and wear it religiously.  Why? Because every gun owner in America would be toting their firearm in protest.  They would have them in their cars, hung over the fireplace – loaded, leaning by their front door, strapped to their side, and across their lap while rocking on the front porch.  Civil disobedience would climb to a level never seen before.

7)      Pickup truck gun rack sales would go through the roof. 

8)   Wal Mart, Cabelas, and Bass Pro Shops would be sold out of guns and ammo in case they became unavailable in the future.

9)      A new political party would have been formed.  The only agreed upon issue would be the right to own guns.  Everything else would be up for grabs. And it would be POWERFUL.  Democrats and Republicans might as well pack their bags and go home.

10)  The bumper sticker which says, “you can have my guns when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers,” would take on a whole new level of meaning.

11)  In addition to the 50 million man march there would be marches and protests in every city; from Reasonor, Iowa – population, 246, to New York City – population, whatever.  These protests would be large, long, and loud. 

Among all these things, there also would have been blood.  Yes, blood in the streets.  A few people would have taken things into their own hand.  Vigilante groups would be formed.  To vigilante against who?  I don’t know, but they would be formed and they would have been dangerous. Some people would have died.

Fortunately, the swing vote went the direction where all these events could be avoided.

While most of this is written tongue-in-check, in reality just as radical of circumstances probably would have taken place.  At some level all of the above would have happened.

And although, I wouldn’t have been one of the people shedding blood – heaven forbid, I would have been on my congressman’s doorstep the next morning and my Browning would have been in the rack in my truck (shoot, I don’t have a truck anymore – the price of gas and all. It would have been in my new “van gun rack”.)

And for those who think it strange for a pastor to write such an article, I point you to the preacher in the movie, “The Patriot.”  When asked by a surprised congregant why he was joining the continental army, his response was, “As a shepherd, sometimes it’s necessary to drive off the wolves.” It’s hard to drive off wolves without a gun.

All I can say to that is, “Amen.”

“To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” Psalm 25:1

The Hebrew word  for “lift” is interestingly similar to the word for our space exploration program, NASA.  Of course it is just a coincidence since NASA is an acronym.  However, both are involved in “lifting” something; one in lifting men and machines to space; the other involving the general idea of lifting anything.           

There can be a variety of reasons we lift our eyes or hands to someone or Something larger than ourselves.  We do it when we need help, such as a child looking for assistance from her parent.  We do it in surrender, when it’s obvious we can’t win a battle. We look up to someone we respect and honor.  We also lift our hands to someone we rely on.  Beggars lift their hand out of desperation.

But what does it mean to lift your ‘soul’ to the Lord? The word soul here has the idea of a person’s entire being.  It’s lifting up the part of you that makes you “you”.  It involves your life, desires, and personality.

David was lifting his soul to the Lord for various reasons: because of his enemies (v.2), to get direction (v.4,5), for mercy (v.7,8), forgiveness (v.11), and for protection (v. 19,20), among other reasons.  No wonder he was lifting his entire life to God; he needed help with every aspect of it!

A certain attitude is present when a person looks to someone else for help or to honor them.  It is one of humbleness, absolute dependence, or need of mercy.  Until one begins to have this attitude he will not look to someone else for anything.  Until that point is reached we tend to depend upon ourselves and our  own devices for solving a problem and determining our path.

People develop this attitude in a variety of ways.  For some it takes hitting rock bottom, for some it’s an illness, for some financial or spiritual bankruptcy.  For some it’s a natural reaction upon hearing about God or the Gospel.

Regardless of how we get to the point of lifting our soul to God, when we do He’s there to help, comfort, forgive, and protect.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where are you in having the right attitude toward God and lifting your life to Him?  He’s there for you when you decide to look up.

Where:  Mark Twain Lake – Corps of Engineers Site (http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/MarkTwain/)

Mark Twain State Park (http://www.mostateparks.com/twainpark.htm)

County:  Ralls and Monroe

Closest Town:  Paris, Perry

When: June 21 to  25, 2008

What:  Useful information (hopefully) from our recent trip to Mark Twain State Park and Lake.

People normally don’t think of Northern Missouri when the term Lake Country is used.  But Mark Twain State Lake is certainly of the caliber to compete with Truman, Lake of the Ozarks, Pom De Terre, and Table Rock.  Nestled in the Northeast part of the state, this many fingered lake is one of Missouri’s secret gems. This article covers the lake, State Park, Mark Twain historical site, fishing, camping, and a few miscellaneous items. 

Mark Twain Lake  

I tend to be an explorer on our vacations, but to explore this lake a person would need a couple of weeks.  Mark Twain has many access points via the recreation areas and the State Park.  There are several arms and many little coves.  In addition to the lake itself there are also other attractions, such as the Mark Twain Museum – discussed below.  I was amazed at how few people were using the campgrounds and actually on the lake.  I never saw more than one or two boats at a time; of course we were there mostly during the week. The weekends are probably another matter.

There is still plenty of standing timber in the water.  Boats venturing out of the deep water need to be careful.  However, for our kayak this was not a problem.

State Park

The state park has numerous campsites – basic, electric, and some wonderful camper cabins.  We stayed in a camper cabin.  They have electricity, a microwave, a queen bed, a futon, a table, and a loft that can sleep two children.  “Children” is the operative word for the loft.  My 6’3” son would have been a little uncomfortable up there, although he could have done it in a pinch. The cabins do NOT have water, thus the name “camper cabin.”

A camper cabin hint – the units at the west end of the campground have better views of and access to the lake.  We stayed in cabin “A” which had a trail to the lake, but the lake was full of logs and weeds; pretty hard to fish there.  However, we were close to the shower house and restrooms – which are very modern.  The shower house has individual showers with private doors.

The park also has it’s own boat ramp and a great fish cleaning station.

There are several trails in the park. We only walked a few yards them.  But they looked well maintained and mowed..  The terrain will give you a workout.  There are several miles of listed trails, and some on others on Corps of Engineers ground.

Mark Twain Birthplace Museum

The Mark Twain Birthplace Museum is a neat place to spend a few hours.  The original house is in an attractive enclosed shrine.  It’s furnished with period piece artifacts and has a few items which belonged to the Clemmons family.  It also has items from Twain’s Connecticut years including: furniture (very nice), a buggy, and beautiful portrait of his daughter, Clara.  There are also some riverboat historical items, and samples of Twain’s writing, of course.  A highlight of the museum is a hand written draft of “Tom Sawyer”.  High compliments go to the museum attendants who were very helpful and informative.

Fishing

There are giant fish in this lake.  Not that we caught any, but we saw evidence via pictures in the bait shop; I never catch fish worthy of bait shop pictures.  We did catch a few catfish and bluegills – enough for a small meal.  If you’re going to fish from the bank, look for the “recreation areas” marked on lake maps.  They typically have several places mowed, or with rock banks which provide good access.  We had a small kayak which makes for fun drift fishing, or casting to the shore.  We could also tie up to trees standing in the water and fish.

There are also several fishing ponds in addition to the actual lake.  Tom Sawyer pond is in the State Park and has very clear water.  We stopped, but didn’t have time to fish it.  We did fish the pond at the Frank Russell recreation area. It’s managed so that kids can have fun catching bluegills.  But my wife and I also had fun catching them.

Birding

We saw red-headed woodpeckers, blue herons, bluebirds, goldfinches and red-tailed hawks.  A highlight was seeing a red-tailed hawk with a snake dangling from his talons while I was in my kayak.  A camera would have been great to have at that moment.  But due to a previous incident with cameras and kayaks, I was on probation from carrying one while paddling.  The hawk landed on a high branch and another hawk swooped in shortly.  They had a brief spat over the snake.  The original hawk won and the other flew off.

Camping

There are literally hundreds of camping spots at many places around the lake.  In addition to the State Park, the Corps has numerous sites.  We drove through one and actually thought it was nicer than the State Park’s sites (although they were very adequate also.)

Other Experiences

The night view at the State Park was spectacular.  With no light there was a great view of the sky.  The particular night I noticed this was also moonless, thus highlighting the star scenery.  It’s a view not seen much in Kansas City.

We shopped in Perry at the IGA store.  It was stocked with what we needed.  We also had occasion to use the medical clinic in Perry.  They worked one of our daughter’s in to treat an ear infection.  Fortunately they had antibiotics on hand, otherwise we would have been driving a few extra miles to a pharmacy.

The small beach at the State Park was in good condition, although the water was pretty murky from all the recent rain.  Not near as bad as Lake of the Ozarks however.  There was also another beach at a recreation area north of the dam, but we didn’t have time to visit it.  I understand it is used more than the State Park beach.

There are several other small towns around with stores.  Paris is one we drove through, but didn’t shop at.  It appears to have stores providing items necessary for a lake visit.

The only thing that would make this lake better is if it was a few hours closer to our home.

Where:  Cooley Lake (http://small-url.com/?1u) (link to Missouri Dept of Conservation map and area summary)

County:  Clay County

Closest Town:  Missouri City

When: June 25, 2008

What:  Stopped here briefly on our way home from Mark Twain Lake.  I wanted to scout Cooley for a future kayaking and fishing trip.  We quickly saw that kayaking this lake would be difficult until the lily pads were gone.  It is a very shallow, oxbow lake filled with vegetation.  I’m sure that bird watching is great during migratory times.  There may also be a few fish in the deeper portions of the lake.  There’s a wooded hillside on the North end of the area.  I’ve hunted mushrooms there in the past.  Lewis and Clark would have made their way through this former loop of the Missouri river.  There’s a marker indicating such – unfortunately someone thought the sign would be a good target. When the fall comes, I may return with my kayak and fishing rod.  Just to say I’ve kayaked this lake – of course my daughters think I’m crazy for wanting to kayak here.  But making my teenage daughters think I’m crazy is a park of my job description these days.  I enjoy it.

Where:  Guy B. Park Conservation Area and Tobacco Hills Lake (http://small-url.com/?1t) (link to Missouri Dept of Conservation map and area summary)

County:  Platte County

Closest Town:  Platte City

When: June 25, 2008

What:  This area is a treat for someone looking for a quick way to wet the line after work.  The area consists of a 19 acre lake settled at the bottom of a wooded hillside. Our first cast produced an 8 inch bluegill.  We later found out (from a very pleasant Conservation Officer) that the lake is managed for large bluegills.  It’s a no-motor lake and ideal for canoes or kayaks.  There’s also a nice, covered fishing dock and a boat ramp.  My daughter caught and released an 11 or 12 inch bass which she was excited about.  Talk about clear water!  This is the clearest water I’ve seen since being on the Meremac last summer.  You could see as deep as the light would allow.  I saw a nice bass about 4 feet down.  We had fun watching the turtles bounce our bobbers.  I took a serene paddle around the lake just before sunset.  We ended up with 11 nice bluegill. I hated to post about this place, because too much traffic will spoil it.  Just enjoy it and take your trash when you leave – according to the Conservation Officer many people just leave their trash laying around. You’ll be glad you made this trip. Oh…yes, the turtle was released.

Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

The Stones have made a mint with this song and caused the phrase, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” to forever be associated with their melody when it comes to our minds.  However, the concept is far from original.

Ancient writers have long conveyed their lack of ability to find satisfaction; including the Biblical writer of Psalm 17.  For some reason, this life rarely brings the complete satisfaction we long for.

Oh, there are times of great satisfaction; including the birth of a child, the achievement of a goal, being in a great relationship, or the quiet and peace found over a morning cup of coffee on your deck.  Our lives are interspersed with times of satisfaction and time of dissatisfaction.

In this case, David is seeking satisfaction regarding his enemies.  Someone is accusing him unjustly.  When shall he be satisfied?  When will they get their due?  He longs for the situation to be right.  But when will that happen?  He doesn’t know and he realizes it’s possible he won’t be satisfied.

There are times we seek this same satisfaction.  That we would be declared righteous and that our enemies would be foiled or even punished.  But it doesn’t always happen and then we are not satisfied.  Unjustness continues and we are frustrated.

So whether it is being satisfied with our life in general or satisfied regarding being treated unjustly, the result is that we are rarely given complete satisfaction – in this life.

What is the answer?

David ends this Psalm with a fantastic and fascinating conclusion.  He states he will, “be satisfied when he awakes in Your likeness.” This statement drips with meaning and theology.  In a theological nutshell, David says that all will be right in the end.  When he passes from this life to the next and sees His maker, he will be righteous, justified and satisfied.  And his enemies’ evilness will also be brought to light and made right.

John says it well in one of his epistles, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2

God has given us the promise of abundant living here, but true, long lasting satisfaction will only come when sin is completely cancelled, these frail bodies are made whole, and we see Him face-to-face.

What is the area of dissatisfaction in your life?  Someday it will be made right.  All will be whole and well.  If you know Christ, you’ll wake up and be satisfied completely.

Ps 25:14    “The secret of the Lord belongs to those who fear Him.”

“Shhhh, want to hear a secret?”

Those words quickly get our attention.  We like to hear secrets.

You probably had secrets as a kid.  Maybe it was a secret hideout, a special code, a first crush, or your favorite fishing hole.  There was NO way you would share these secrets with anyone but your best buddies or girlfriends.  Secrets and close friends go together.

To know a secret you must hold a privileged position with a person or group. In fact the word secret in this verse is the same word used in other places to define a group of friends.  It’s translated other places in the Bible as assembly, counsel, or fellowship.  Typically there is a qualification to get into a circle of people.  Perhaps you share a hobby, live in the same neighborhood, or have a similar job.

Here David is telling us that God has some privileged information and he only shares it with certain people.  Wouldn’t it be neat to know the secrets of God?  Wouldn’t it be great to be in his circle?

David says that we can be in a position to hear the secrets of God.  We can know the things close to his heart.  Wow! What an awesome thing to be a confidant of God.

How do you know if you are in a position to know about topics God holds close to himself?  The litmus test is your fear factor towards God.  Now that seems strange.  Why would we fear someone who is a friend or close to us?  This type of fear is not what we think of as fearing an enemy or something evil, but a fear that shows respect.  Fear is really an attitude.

I’m afraid of my lawnmower.  It’s not because it’s evil.  It doesn’t turn into some kind of mower monster after dark and mow weird circles in my yard or anything.  However, I do fear it; basically because of what it can do.  I am definitely careful when it’s started and that blade is whirring.  I don’t want to accidentally stick my foot under it and have to adopt the nickname Stubby.  It’s good to have a healthy respect for your mower.

The nature or character of a person determines our attitude towards them. If someone is kind we might admire them.  If someone is wealthy we might be envious of them.  If someone is wise we are attentive.  If someone is an authority figure we respect them.

This nature in someone or something is that which causes you to sit up and take notice.  You can’t ignore them because of who they are or what they are like.  This could be a judge, your father, a principal, or a police officer.  There are just some people you can’t or shouldn’t ignore.  Only a stupid person ignores a police officer. A wise person fears or respects them.

What is it about God that should cause us to fear him?  Those who fear God understand his character, position, and power. A simple look at creation around us should cause us to wonder about the existence and traits of God.  The character traits in God that should cause us to fear Him are his complete power, justice, authority, and awesomeness.  Like having a high respect for a powerful, just person on this earth, say a judge or doctor or governor or king or president, we should have respect for God.  So when we recognize God for who He is and acknowledge Him, this is a type of fear.

This fear will give us the open door to more intimate knowledge of God.  David says that the “secret” of the Lord is for those who fear him.

God keeps his intimate knowledge, his secrets, for those who view him for who He is.  A true fear of God will also involve understanding his justice and provision for sin, which will lead you to His Son.

So what is your fear factor towards God? 

Do you have the right attitude so he will whisper his secrets in your ear?

“Ahhh, sunrise in 12 minutes, I’ll be able to get some great pictures of it coming up over the lake,”  I thought while pulling into the Smithville lake parking lot.  

My goal this morning was to put another notch in my lakes-in-Missouri-I’ve-kayaked-on belt.  I also wanted to get some nice sunrise pictures while out on the lake.  On the spiritual side I thought doing my devotions on the kayak would be nice.  In God’s creation and all – what better place to read my Bible?  On the less spiritual side, a person always needs to have a fishing rod with him when in his kayak.  Anything less is unmanly.  This was going to be a great morning and all before I went into the office.

I only had 12 minutes now before sunrise.  The kayak had to be on the water.  My camera, paddle, life jacket, Bible (Oh – I forgot that at home – so much for the spiritual side of this trip), and fishing rod had to be loaded.  I needed to park the van.  Then I needed to paddle out about 100 yards from shore to get the good sunrise shots.

“Hmmmm, I thought that storm was supposed to have rolled by already. Oh well, as long as it doesn’t lightening.”

On a side note, I was amazed at how stable my new kayak was the first time I took it out last week.  I’d always heard how tipsy these things were.  There was only one time that it seemed that way – when I was getting in.  The rest of the first day it was stable Mable.

Back to today - everything was going according to plan.  Kayak tied up to the dock.  Loaded with everything. Van parked. Life jacket on.  This would be the first time I had entered my kayak from a dock.

“Hmmm, those clouds might just prohibit any good sunrise shots.”

After evaluating the best way to enter the kayak, I decided on a method.  I would put one foot where it was supposed to go, place my left hand on the far side of the kayak, and keep my right hand on the dock.  I would then kind of drop my hind parts down into the seat.

In one deft move I performed my entrance maneuver, rolled the boat over, and was completely submerged in lake water.  It wasn’t even 5:25am yet!!  Normally it takes me several good hours into an adventure for a misadventure to happen.

My rod, journal (I did remember that), camera, tackle box, and paddle were all in the water or lying on the bottom.  My billfold is drenched. Sigh.  I fished everything out and put it on the dock.  Ahhhh! The camera still works!  Sunrise shots are still possible.

All wet items, except for my clothes, were returned to the van.  I thought I should keep my clothes on.  A naked, kayaking pastor might make the front page.

I paddled out a few hundred yards.  “Hmmm, lightening,” I thought.  Better go back.  I took a few pictures of the clouds, the dock, some geese and my feet in the end of the kayak as proof I actually did this.  The camera case was drenched so I left it in the van.  It’s hard to find a place for a camera out of a case in a kayak.  “Well, I’ll be back at the dock in a few minutes, so I’ll just put it on my lap,” I thought.

“Ehhhh, lightening is getting closer – better hurry.”

It was a relaxing 5 minutes on the water. Back at the dock I quickly hopped out.  Wait. What was that plop? Arrgh!  The camera is now in 3 feet of water.  The trip was turning into an expensive misadventure.

I loaded everything up and dragged my drenched body into the van.  Upon pulling out of the lot, the sun just peeked through a few clouds.  It was beautiful.  One quick picture to wrap up the morning.  Ohhh – the camera didn’t take well to being under the water.  Sigh.

Psalms 116:6 “The Lord preserves the simple…”

(Credit to the Ocean Kayak Company for the picture on this blog.  For some reason, I don’t have any pictures of this trip to post yet. The Frenzy kayak is identical to mine, but the person in it is more experienced and the location is not Smithville Lake, MO)

(For more information on Smithville Lake, go to http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=G516980)

Where:  Kendzora Conservation Area and Lake (http://small-url.com/?V) (link to Missouri Dept of Conservation map and area summary)

County:  Platte and Buchanan County

Closest Town:  Edgerton

When: May 27, 2008

What:  Spent the day kayak fishing on this 35 acre lake.  Caught about 12 largmouth bass, 1 crappie, a bluegill, and a catfish.  The largest bass was about 2.5 pounds and the catfish 3 pounds.  Released all but 4 of the bass. I had my line break twice on bigger fish.  I was using a bobber and minnow most of the time. This is a great lake if you have a canoe or kayak as it doesn’t allow motors.  It’s small enough that you can get around easily.  There are a lot of standing trees on the east side and a few small coves if it get’s too windy.  The North end of the lake is very shallow - 1 ft to 3 ft deep.  There are two parking areas, but both are quite a ways from the lake.  I parked below the dam and hauled my kayak up the bank.  There’s a small walkway on the west end of they dam you can see from the road.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Aunt Lavon would do wacky things.  She was fun-loving, always had a smile, and was a deeply caring person.

For many years as a child I just knew her as the sister of my Dad who was crazy and fun.  She was the aunt who had so much fun playing the game Spoons that the neighbors could hear and would wonder what was going on over at  the Dunkle’s house.  She would dive across the table to get a spoon in this card game.  It was no holds barred. 

Instead of writing letters, she would sometimes record a tape (yes this was before email and YouTube).  She would talk about their family, which cousin was in which sport, how work was going, etc.  She would also sing.  Yes, she would sing some of her favorite songs acapella.  She also would record some her favorite songs and provide commentary on why she loved it so much.  One song I distinctly remember was “Rushing Wind” by Keith Green.  He sang about being cleansed from our sin and the Holy Spirit entering his life after being born again.  It later became a favorite of mine.

When we visited her home, we always went to church.  It was different from our church.  There was more emphasis on looking at the Bible, talking about Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and this serious discussion about salvation. People at her church were friendly!  And, man, they loved the Lord.

In my early teens I found out the source of her joy and zest for life.  It was her faith in Christ.  I learned of it slowly through news she would share with us and gifts and cards she would send me.

She took a personal interest in me and my spiritual state.  I was her first nephew and she would tease me that I couldn’t hide anything from her because she used to change my diapers.  Usually this discussion happened in front of others for embarrassment purposes.

On one of my birthdays she sent me a Bible.  It was a “fresh” translation targeted toward the younger generation.  Many remember it as the green, hardback Bible called “The Way.” 

In it she wrote the following:

“Shawn Barr - May you find that peace for your life that only is found in Jesus Christ.  The following I am sharing with you from my Bible – sayings I’ve written in my Bible over the years.  May He bless your life in every way. You are loved. All my Love, Aunt Lavon”

Here are the sayings she shared:

* I have to stand for something or I’ll fall for anything.

* Christians shouldn’t be satisfied to die on 3^rd base when they could go on to Home with the Winning Run.

* Responsibility – The response is to come from us, and the ability will come from Him.

* I would rather burn out for Jesus than rust out for Him.

* History – His Story.

* Money is an instrument that can buy you everthing but happiness and pay your fare for every place but Heaven.

* Love is something you “do”!

* If justice was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we’d all be blind and toothless!

*Shawn Barr – You are loved!

She closed with: “My commitment of love to you: to pray for you everyday the rest of my life. Aunt Lavon.”

Her investment of love and prayer in me changed my life.  The example of joyful, Christian living was contagious.  Shortly after receiving this Bible, I found Christ as my own Savior and gained assurance that I was reconciled to God because of Him.

Several years ago her commitment of praying for me ended as she died tragically.  However, her example will never die.  I’ll always remember her great love for Christ and others.

The Church needs more “Aunt Lavons” – people willing to be an example and invest in others.  I pray I can be that person for someone else.  And may I ask, who will be able to point to you in the same way someday? There are people right around you who need you to love them, invest in them, and stand up and be an example.

Decide to become a difference-maker to someone today.