Dear Friends,
Perhaps you are wondering how Easter and 'Take Your Wife to Work Day' go together!
Take Your Wife to Work Day:
Bernie and I work together in our ministry in many ways, including spending time each week planning and strategizing together, and I write most of the devotionals, and go with him on outreaches, and occasionally for speaking, but the 'outreach tours' he usually does by himself. This past week, though, he asked if I would come with him on the final day of a three day outing in Washington DC with a wonderful group of homeschooling families, mostly from Texas, who he was taking around the city while they were here together for a week. Since it was a bit unusual for me to join Bernie on an event like this, it was actually Daniel who quipped, when we came home, "So how did 'take your wife to work day' go?" :)
Laying Down Your Life:
This particular day Bernie led the group around Arlington National Cemetery. The somberness of the day was underscored because it coincided with Good Friday, the day we remember when our Lord was hung on the tree for our sins. One of the many stops in the cemetery was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The message there was powerful and moving. There were a large group of WWII vets in attendance at the time we were there, and their minimum age was 90. They sat in rows of wheelchairs, each with an assistant, and it brought tears to watch them with hand over heart, as they watched the wreath being presented and the guard changed. Four of them stood and participated with the wreath laying ceremony. These men had risked it all to fight to keep America free, had seen their friends make the ultimate sacrifice in battle, and then they had returned home to try to resume a normal life sometimes wondering why they were spared while their friends were not. They had seen the horrors of war first hand and survived. It doesn't take much to move from their earthly willingness to lay down their lives, to remember the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross.
"Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13
The unknown soldiers (one from WWI, WWII, and the Korean War) in the tomb represents all the soldiers, known and unknown, who have given their lives in the service of our nation. And since July 1937, (incidentally the same week Bernie's mother, Bernardine Gladhill Beall, was born - she will turn 80 in July of this year!) there has never been a moment, 24-7, that the grave has been unguarded. These men who gave their lives are never forgotten. This brought to mind, for me, how Jesus is ever diligent is his pursuit of his own. We are also, never forgotten by Him. He doesn't forget us but has loved us with an everlasting love, and has laid down his life for us.
As I write today, I feel I can't quite capture and explain how much observing these men perform this ceremony moved me in gratefulness for their bravery and sacrifice, and then also made me think of the bravery of our Savior's ultimate sacrifice he made out of love for us. These men gave up their lives and the bible tells us,
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-7
"Thank you Bernie for being an upbeat and inspiring teacher! I saw the
inside of buildings I had previously seen only the outside. I appreciate
your passion and knowledge of the Christian heritage of America and
noting the scriptures that are fitting for various monuments, people,
etc.
Loved getting to know Linda a little and will pray for you
mission to share Jesus with others so we see them in heaven. We'll
recommend you to our friends also though I bet you have a lot of repeat groups because you are so passionate about the truth and our country." - one of the participants
"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." - John 15:15