Encourage Someone in the Military

I usually write my own stuff, but today I found myself so moved by an email I received, that I thought I would use my blog space to share its rich message.

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage
compartment and sat down in my
assigned seat. It was going to be a
long flight. 'I'm glad I have a
good book to read Perhaps I will get
a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of
soldiers came down the aisle and
filled all the vacant seats, totally
surrounding me. I decided to
start a conversation.
'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Petawawa. We'll be there for two
weeks for special training, and then
we're being deployed to Afghanistan

After flying for about an hour, an
announcement was made that sack
lunches were available for five
dollars. It would be several hours
before we reached the east, and I
quickly decided a lunch would help
pass the time..

As I reached for my wallet, I
overheard soldier ask his buddy if he
planned to buy lunch.
'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.

Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base '

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other
soldiers. None were buying lunch. I
walked to the back of the plane and
handed the flight attendant a
fifty dollar bill.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers...' She grabbed my arms and squeezed
tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a
soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up
the aisle to where the soldiers
were seated. She stopped at my seat
and asked, 'Which do you like
best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why
she asked. She turned and went to
the front of plane, returning a
minute later with a dinner plate from
first class. 'This is your thanks..'

After we finished eating, I went
again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it.
Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I
saw the Flight Captain coming down
the aisle, looking at the aisle
numbers as he walked, I hoped he was
not looking for me, but noticed he
was looking at the numbers only on
my side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said,
'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I
stood and took the Captain's hand..
With a booming voice he said, 'I was
a soldier and I was a military pilot..
Once, someone bought me a lunch.
It was an act of kindness I
never forgot.' I was embarrassed
when applause was heard from all of
the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the
plane so I could stretch my legs.
A man who was seated about six rows
in front of me reached out his
hand, wanting to shake mine. He left
another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my
belongings and started to deplane.
Waiting just inside the airplane door
was a man who stopped me, put
something in my shirt pocket, turned,
and walked away without saying a
word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the
soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them
and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to
reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight
feeling the love and respect of their
fellow travelers. As I walked
briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return.
These soldiers were giving their all for our country.. I could only
give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little....

A veteran is someone who, at one
point in his life, wrote a blank check
made payable to 'The United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and including My life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too
many people in this country who
no longer understand it.'

Appreciate the Encourager

"Fact: Every week, the average person receives: 682 e-mails, 12 text messages, 10.8 pieces of junk mail, 1.5 personal letters. Feeling appreciated is one of the strongest human desires. A handwritten note costs less than a dollar to write and mail, and the relational value is priceless." ~Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza

Recently I've been fine tuning my attitude to be more grateful. Seems I spend a lot of time griping and complaining about the weather, my job, finances, people who annoy me, etc., etc., etc....then the quote written above jumped off the page as I read it - "feeling appreciated is one of the strongest human desires!" Wow! Not rocket science, not something unattainable, but something tangible and easy to

express.

Last night six wonderful friends of gave of their time, their gifts and their wallets to made eight of their friends feel extra special, and there were no strings attached! Seriously, no strings attached! Boy, did we feel appreciated! Thanks so much Lisa, Srini, Brad, Julie, Pepper & Jason. We'll never forget how special you made us feel.

Hebrews 13:7,8 says, "appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness."(The Message)

October is Pastor appreciation month. There are many great men and women that I'd like to personally thank - Louis D., Jack F., Doran C., Dru B., Jim G., Ellis W., Patrick M., Eddie L., Darin K., Brian C., Ryan H., Mike W., Mike G., Chuck L., Lisa D. and all of their spouses who've served and still serve so faithfully along side of them.

If you have the time, take a few minutes to write a note of thanks to those who have ministered to you, in your own handwriting. According to Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza, it costs less than a dollar, but the relational value is priceless!

Building Encouragement

Today over 100 volunteers gathered at the Beechwold Christian Church to build hope - a house of hope that is! Beechwold in partnership with Crossroads Christian mission and Licking County Habitat for Humanity built the frame for a two-story house. Tomorrow this house will be dedicated and prayed over, and then shipped to Licking County. Once it arrives, the Licking County Habitat will add it to the basement footer and finish the house, adding walls and roof. Shortly after that a family who thought they might never own their own home will own a piece of the American dream.

One hundred volunteers each giving approximately 4 hours of volunteer time, you do the math, 400 hours of service will change the life of a family forever. What would these people have done instead with their Saturday morning? Rake leaves, clean the house, watch cartoons? Instead they spent their time doing the eternal, doing something that will encourage and change the lives of others, quite possibly for an eternity.

God desires for us to build houses. In Jeremiah 29:5, the Lord God Almighty says to those who've been captive: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce."

I'm thankful to be part of a church that cares so much, even those they've never met. I'm thankful to call many of those volunteers my friends. I'm thankful for a God that loves us so much that he shelters us with good things.

What are you thankful for today? Is it time we fall on our knees in thanksgiving?