Bulletin November 23, 2014 Front Cover

Bulletin Cover November 16, 2014

Article: Veterans Day by Rusty Hilliard

This Tuesday, November 11, as a nation we will take time to remember and recognize the men and women who have served this country in our military. The observance and history of Veterans Day has its roots in 1918. To explain this history, I would like to share a paragraph from history.com. 

“On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.” 

The interesting side note that we should mention here is that in 1968, congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which sought to insure 3-day weekends for government employees, and moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. This practice remained until 1975, when President Ford signed into law a policy which returned Veterans Day to November 11.

As a child, Veterans Day had very little meaning to me, and the majority of those around me. In the small town where I grew up, I don’t recall parades, speeches, and ceremonies honoring the soldiers both past and present. Honestly, though many of my family served in the military, national defense wasn’t something that I thought of much at all. Until one day in September of 2001 changed everything. Of course I am referring to September 11, 2001. On that day all of us became more aware of the amazing individuals who serve this country each and every day. All who give their time, and many who gave their lives.

As I was considering the approach of this national holiday, I thought about Paul’s words to the brethren in Philippians 1: 3. There we read: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Paul’s message is that at the thought of the brethren, he took time to thank God for who they were, and what they meant to him. We as Americans would do well to model that same mindset in regards to our Veterans. We should thank God for those who serve when we do not, and sacrifice where we will not.  

There is one other passage of scripture that I would like to remind us of as this day of remembrance approaches. Jesus said in John 15: 13, “Greater love has no one than this that someone lays down his life for his friends.” Thank you to all who have stood, served, and sacrificed on our behalf.- Rusty

Bulletin cover November 9, 2014

Fall Fest 2014 color collage

Article: Mailing It In by Rusty Hilliard

For those who enjoy online blogs, I highly recommend focuspress.org. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, this website has a number of very interesting and well-thought out articles dealing with subjects which impact today’s Christian. Recently the authors published an article titled: “MAILING IT IN.” The major thrust of the article is examining different areas of the work of the Lord in which we have stopped working for ourselves, and are instead expecting someone else to do the work for us. I was inspired after reading this to research the phrase “mailing it in.” I came across the following quote which discussed the origins of certain phrases.

“Mailing it in has nothing to do with the mail and everything to do with delivery. The phrase refers to the act of performing a task or job with the minimal amount of effort required to satisfy the person who has hired you to do the work. But that's not all. To "mail it in," there has to be an understanding (express or implied) that the performer of the task is capable of better quality work than what is being delivered. Accordingly, mere hacks cannot "mail it in" the way an A-List Hollywood star or top-selling author can. Indeed, the strange thing about "mailing it in" is that a person has to earn the privilege through status or past, top-notch work.”

I have chosen to highlight the first sentence for a reason. Those first few words contain a great lesson for you and me as we strive to do the work of the Lord here in this local area. You see, it isn’t a problem with the mail (the message), the problem is with the delivery (the messenger.) Folks, God didn’t “mail it in” when it came to our salvation. Instead he gave us all he had to give in the form of his “only begotten son.” (John 3: 16) The question for ourselves is whether or not we are “mailing it in” when it comes to our delivery of the message which he has given to us.

Are you, as the performer of the work of the Lord, “capable of better quality work than what is being delivered?” As Paul stated in Philippians 1: 21  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

This verse doesn’t allow for anything less than our best effort. In fact, this verse repudiates the idea of “mailing it in” all together. -Rusty-

Bulletin cover Nov. 2, 2014