Today is Pearl Harbor Day, the anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. The event ushered in American participation in World War II, and was the basis for a multitude of Hollywood films over the years.

When the most recent Pearl Harbor movie was released, I took my boys and Leon Kessler to see it at the Garrett theater. I wanted my sons to hear what Leon had to say about the movie. You see, Leon was a young Marine stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Along with everyone else, Leon didn’t understand what was happening early that Sunday morning. But he grabbed his cap and ran toward the naval yard, not wanting to miss out on all the excitement, whatever it was. He remembers a Japanese plane flew over him so low that the wind blew his cap off.

I was a little embarrassed, and it was a good thing we went on a Monday night, when there were only 3 or 4 others in the theater. Leon, not accustomed to public theaters, spoke right out loud, “Why, they’re killin’ way too many people,” and later, “Now that would never have happened!” But it was an educational experience for all of us.

In Exodus 23:9 God challenges Israel to live based upon what they had learned the hard way. I think its important that we all learn from lessons others have experienced; that will add wisdom to us without the pain they experienced.

What lessons have you learned from others?

Tags: Leon, lessons, war

I remember as a new Christian with a great hunger for truth, trying to debunk every religious tradition without a scriptural base. Its pretty obvious that Jesus wasn’t born in the month of December, because shepherds were never out in the fields with their sheep in winter. So, when was Jesus born? When was the first Christmas?

That’s the theme of this Christmas series that begins this weekend: When Was the First Christmas? We’ll examine what the Bible says about the topic, as well as look at the Christmas story and what we can learn from it for today. It is my desire that we all have a new appreciation of the purpose for Christmas with this teaching.

When do you think was Jesus’ birthday?

Tomorrow we’ll be saying farewell to Karen Waldron, who just died following a battle with cancer at the age of 53. Karen began attending our church while going through a divorce with two small children in the early days of the church in the early ’80s. We were just beginning in the little building on Washington St. I needed a secretary and she was out of work, so we hired her part time. Neither one of us knew what we were doing.

I have fond memories of teaching her how to run the old mimeograph machine and how to make the stencils to print the weekly bulletins. She wasn’t gifted for office work and didn’t stay long but it was good to invest in her life. Karen remarried and moved to another part of the county, but came back to visit us periodically. I’ll miss Karen.

Do you have memories of Karen?

Former Portland, Oregon, Pastor Dale Galloway, tells this story that occurred at his church a few years ago:

On a cold, windy morning with the wind chill factor well below zero, the orphan boy, Ralph, walked to church. His friend, Mr. Kennedy, greeted him as he came in the door, “Glad to see you, Ralph.  Sure is cold out there today.”

With a smile Ralph said, “I sure did get cold walking this morning.” Surprised, the older man inquired, “You mean you walked here to church this morning?”

Ralph replied, “Yep, I didn’t have money for bus fare.”

“Well, how far did you walk, Ralph?”

“I walked four miles.”

Mr. Kennedy asked Ralph, “How many churches did you pass along the way walking four miles?” Ralph thought for a moment. “I passed twenty-two churches.”

Impressed, Mr. Kennedy said, “Ralph, why did you pass all those churches just to come to our church on this cold morning?”

Ralph smiled widely and said, “Because I’ve discovered that here they love a fella like me.”

Let’s work together to make a few more people feel that way.

Tags: Christian love

Many years ago, when I was dating Anita, her parents hosted a Japanese foreign exchange student. English was a second language for him, and he knew it well enough to survive in school. One of his first desires was to buy a pair of American jeans, just coming into fashion in the early ’70′s. We took him shopping at a trendy new jean store near the mall in Fort Wayne.

Always the frugal (or should I say cheap) shopper, I took him to a section where the price was best and told him to buy those. He carefully examined the jeans, reading every word on the label. He got one of those silly Japanese horror movie looks on his face when he came upon the word ‘Slightly Irregular’. To a long-haired hippie like me, Slightly Irregular meant ‘great bargain’. To a guy schooled on the King’s English who was unfamiliar with American slang, it meant something altogether different. And its hard to tell someone who understands good English that it really doesn’t mean what he knows it means.

In one version, Paul advises us to “Make allowance for each other’s faults” (Colossians 3:13). Who do you know that is not slightly irregular? But if we Christians can make allowance for slightly irregular people, we will not take up offenses quite so easily. Just keep telling yourself, “When I meet that slightly irregular person today, be sure to make allowance for their slight irregularity.” And, perhaps they’ll make allowance for your irregularity as well.

Tags: irregular, patience

Yesterday we put my father into Betz Nursing Home, as my mother cannot continue to care for him. He is on hospice and decided to go there of his own accord. Its not easy watching your once strong parents wane.

While preparing for the move, we were going through some old papers Dad had in his safe, and came across an old faded envelope with this writing on the front: “Merry Christmas to Ralphie from Grandpa and Grandma”. It didn’t appear to be my Grandpa’s writing, so I think Grandma must have written it. It had apparently once had a dollar in it, but has long since been empty. My Grandma Diehl died in 1955 when I was eight and Grandpa died in 1963.

Why do you suppose my Dad would have kept that old empty envelope in his safe anyway? Perhaps he knew how much that old envelope would mean to me someday? Well, the day has come and I really do cherish that relic of the past: A Christmas memory I can’t even remember.

I would love to know if you also have such a Christmas memory.