I grew up in church. I tell people that I have been in church since 9 months before I was born. I can say that I have attended in some form or fashion an annual summertime tradition for churches, Vacation Bible School (VBS). I can remember going to VBS in the mornings and helping to lead them in the evenings. I have been involved in Bible Schools that lasted two weeks, one week, five days, three days and one day. I can remember saying the pledges, holding the flags, and leading children to do the same. I can remember lining up outside, marching into the sanctuary and hearing the piano chord that told us to Listen, sit down. Through all my experience with VBS, I can truly say it is worth it.

As an adult, having taught in VBS, led games in VBS, decorated for VBS, directed VBS, and pastored in VBS; I can truly say that there is no tired like VBS tired. It is exhausting, but it is worth it. I have seen children come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I have seen whole family’s lives changed because of VBS. I have seen people find their place of service in the church through working in VBS. I have seen churches experience a revival through VBS. Vacation Bible School is worth it.

I may not be able to remember every story I heard, every craft I made, every game I played in VBS, but I can say my life is better and my Christian life is stronger because of VBS. This is true from both attending and helping to lead in VBS. So I challenge you, to pray for VBS this summer. Attend VBS this summer. Volunteer at VBS this summer, your life will be better for it. You never know what God might do this year at VBS.

As I wrote previously, I lived in Hawaii for four years when I was growing up. Our house was on Ohana Nui Circle. We lived in that house from the time I was 3 years old until, I finished the first grade. A small house seems very big to one so little. I shared a large bedroom with my brother and in my mind that room was at the end of a long hall that led to our living room. At the back of our living room was glass doors that led me outside to a great big yard. 

A little over 20 years ago, my family had the opportunity to go to Hawaii. Because my dad was with us, we were allowed to go back onto the Hickam Air Force Base, to see the house in which we lived. In fact, the family now living there allowed us to go back inside. What a surprise, what to my young little eyes was a huge house, was in fact very small. The big bedroom and the long hall somehow shrunk with time. You know why, I grew up and what was big to small eyes had become small to big eyes.

Too often, that happens to us in our relationship with God. When we realize how small we are we recognize how big God really is. But too often, we grow big in our own eyes. The bigger we are in our eyes; the smaller God seems to us. Unfortunately, we easily become self-absorbed. John the Baptist could have easily done so. He was as Jesus said, the greatest of the prophets. He had a great following and could have kept a great following, but He said, I must decrease so that Jesus might increase (John 3:30).  If your God is too small, then maybe it is because you are too big.

I attended Westarea Elementary School in Fayetteville, NC from the 3^rd grade to the 6^th grade. I can remember when I finished the 4^th grade, the one thing I did not want was to be in Mrs. Baum’s class in 5^thgrade. I had been warned. She was the hardest teacher. As a child that also meant she was the meanest teacher. I worried all summer and begged, please God, don’t give me Mrs. Baum. Well, when summer was over and we got the information about who my teacher was going to be, you guessed it, it was Mrs. Baum. Oh, no, what was I going to do. I did not want to start the 5^th grade, I was doomed.

The year started and it never was as bad as I had been led to believer. In fact, I liked Mrs. Baum. Yes she was a tough teacher, but she was always nice and encouraging to me. In fact, I liked her. I loved bowling and I found out that her and her husband owned the local bowling lanes, B & B Lanes. Our end of year party was held at the bowling alley, and I loved it.  Everything that I was worried about was for nothing.

How often do we do that? We worry and we worry and most of the time we worried for nothing. Studies have shown that up to 90% of what we worry about never happens.  And yet we worry. But the Bible teaches us not to worry but to cast our cares and anxieties on Him. Our God says, Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). With that promise, we need to learn not to worry but to give our anxieties to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). Afterall, as Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

I spent the early part of my years being an Air Force brat. My dad served a little over twenty years serving our country. My dad taught me patriotism, which was reinforced in the public schools I attended. I continued throughout my life to have examples of patriotism. One of the biggest was my mother-in-law Frances Nicholson. She was Mrs. 4^th of July. She loved our country and looked for so many ways to show it.

Patriotism is simply a love and devotion for one’s country. I was taught to stand and place my hand over my heart during the national anthem and as we said the pledge of allegiance. I was taught by edict and example to love America. Does this mean, I believe that America is perfect. Certainly not, but I do believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are right and true. As a nation, we have not always lived up to those values, but it is something to which we strive.

As a Christian, my patriotism for my country is in no way counter to my allegiance to Christ. I recognize that we live in two worlds. I am a citizen of heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. This is not my home and I long to be at home in heaven one day. However, as a Christian, I am called to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. As a Christian, my priority is the Kingdom of God and as so my responsibility is to be good citizens and contribute to the well-being of my nation. I pray for our nation, and I work to make it a better place. I hope that you will join me in being a Christian as well as a true patriot and do the same.

During my first year of college, I got a job working at Carowinds. I worked in what was then called Hannah Barbera Land. I had to wear orange pants and a white puffy three-quarter arm length shirt. I operated such rides as the Scooby Doo Roller Coaster, the Short Line railroad, a mini sky tower and an airplane ride. Thirty odd years later, I can still see and hear in my mind a show featuring a marionette rabbit singing, “I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbit.

One late afternoon while operating the Carousel, a severe thunderstorm came over the park. Lightning was all around us as it poured down rain. Guests and fellow workers took shelter under the Carousel. I was under there with parents, small children and other young adults. It was frightening. And yet, I don’t remember being afraid. All I remember was joking around with the children, helping them keep their mind of the storm. With my mind focused on them, I did not have time to be afraid.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” The motivation and inspiration for this command is our Lord Jesus Christ who put our need for salvation above His glory and His life. He left glory and added to Himself humanity. He died in our place so that by faith alone in Him, we can be saved.  Because of this, we are told to have the same attitude as Christ. When we do so, we find that there is an added benefit, our worries and fears become less as we focus on the needs of others. So as Paul said, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

I was sitting in the courthouse the other day and was staring at the N.C. State seal. On it is the state motto, ‘Esse Quam Videri’ to be rather than to seem. The quote comes from the Cicero’s essay on friendship. In the essay, Cicero basically says in his essay that the number of people who truly possess virtue is less than what it appears to be, so stop pretending. Our state in adopting this motto, had a desire that its citizens to truly possess virtue and integrity rather than just appearing to have them. This is truly an admirable motto for the state to have. We all need to be people of good character in order that we might live as a community. We need to be able to trust one another.

As I was thinking about the motto, I believe that it is vital that Christians understand and live the truth of it. We need to be Christians rather than seem to be a Christian. Jesus told us that this would happen, that there would be people who only seem to be a Christian. He said in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Not everyone who professes faith in Jesus, possess faith in Jesus. They seem rather than to be.

So how do I know that I really am a Christian. 1 John gives us several tests to help us answer this question. Do I enjoy having fellowship with Christ and other believers? (1 John 1:3) Do I admit and confess my sin? (1 John 1:8) Am I obedient to God’s Word? (1 John 2:3-5). Does my life demonstrate that I love God rather than the world? (1 John 2:15) Is there a decreasing pattern of sin in my life? (1 John 3:5-6) Do I demonstrate love for other Christians? (1 John 3:14) There are other tests throughout 1 John so take time to read the book, and if you can answer yes to these questions, you are bearing fruit of the Christian life, for Jesus said, by their fruit you will know them.

Growing up I spent 4 ½ years living in Hawaii. Before you get jealous, my family moved to Hawaii when I was 3 and left after I finished the second grade. My older brother and sister could tell you more about Hawaii than I ever could. I do remember a few things, I remember having a coconut palm tree in our yard, and a playground not too far from our house. One thing I do remember was going to school at Nimitz Elementary School. The school was named after Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was the commander and chief of the Pacific fleet during World War II.

As a child, I never thought much of who my school was named for, but as an adult it is something that I cherish. For example, it was Nimitz who said of the men who fought the battle of Iwo Jima, “Among those who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”  If you study his life and career, you will discover that Nimitz was a visionary leader who worked to develop a strategic plan. He knew the importance of empowerment and delegation and was adaptable and a lifelong learner. These characteristics made Nimitz a formidable leader. But what made him Great was his humility. Nimitz was known for putting the sailors first. He lived this out by investing  time in the men under his command and made sure that he met with every commanding officer that came to Pearl Harbor. When he died in 1966, the year I was born, he could have been laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, but he left orders that he was to be buried with his men.

Nimitz encapsulates the words of Jesus, “For he who is least among you all is the one who is great” (Luke 9:38). True humility is what makes one great. Humility flies against our nature. By nature, we are proud people who seek to promote ourselves. We want to be great. But Jesus taught us that greatness comes first to those who die to themselves. In whatever you do seek to put others first and will be on the path to greatness.

I grew up in Southern Baptist churches. Because of this, I was a part of Royal Ambassadors (RAs), a program for boys that taught us about missions. The levels you went through were called Lads, Pages, Squires and Knights. When we lived in Fayetteville, NC our church sent us to RA camp at Camp Caraway. This was a week-long camp, where boys from across the state came together for fun, crafts, swimming, archery, hiking, and of course to learn more about Jesus.  I have fond memories and not so fond memories of camp. I was told that I fell off the top bunk in the middle of the night and did not wake up. But I guess the not so fond memory was getting homesick. Most of the time, I was so busy that I did not have time to be homesick, but when things got quiet, I would think of home.

As a Christian, I still get homesick. This world is not my home. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:1, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Paul calls our bodies a tent. You live in a tent when you are not home. We have a home in heaven. There are times when my longing to be home is so great, that I cannot think of anything else. Yet, as long as I am here, I have work to do. God has called me to be His witness so that others can know Him.

As a youth, we sang a song in youth choir called, Home, Where I Belong, by B.J. Thomas. The words says:

And when I’m feeling lonely,

and when I’m feeling blue.

It’s such a joy to know that I am only passing through.

I’m headed home,

going home,

where I belong.

But the words also say, While I am here I will serve him gladly. So even though, I get homesick, I have a job to do and so do you.

I spent a part of my childhood years living in Fayetteville, NC. Fayetteville is in the sandhills. One of the most dreaded things as a child living in the sandhills were sandspurs. Sandspurs are the spiny seed pods of a grassy weed. The sandspur was a painful reminder that you needed to wear shoes when you walked through the grass in the summer. But you did not have to be barefooted to feel their pain. The sandspurs would stick to your socks, pant legs, shoestrings, and anything it could attach itself. Then you had to pick them off and most of the time those spiny protrusions went into your finger. Ouch!

Sandspurs are not the only thing that can stick to you. The character, behavior, and morals of people we surround ourselves with can stick to us. Paul says in  1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”  The reason is that it is much easier for people to pull you down to bad behavior then it is to lift them up to good. We need to be very careful of who we have as our closest friends. Proverbs 13:20 says “He that walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm”.

This does not mean that we cannot be friendly with everyone, we need to build relationships with people in order to be a witness. But we need to make sure our closest friends will help us grow in the Lord rather than away from him. Choose your friends wisely, so that the right things stick to you.

With the rise of various movie and television apps, you now can go back and watch television shows and movies from when you grew up. I was born in the mid 1960’s and I remember watching television shows from that era on reruns, as well as shows from the 70’s and 80’s as well.  What is interesting is that many of the shows that I enjoyed as a child, are now what can I say are kind of dumb. I sit back and wonder why I found them so enjoyable. You know the answer, I’ve grown up. I have matured and have put away childish things.

As Christians we are called to grow up. Yes, Jesus said, ““Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Everyone one of us should always have a child like faith that simply believes it is so, when it is not so, simply because God said so. But we are not to have a childish faith. The Bible urges us to go onto maturity. We must grow up in our faith.

Years living as a Christian does not produce maturity. We see that in evidence today as so many men refuse to grow up and remain boys playing with their toys. To mature spiritually, we must embrace spiritual discipline.  We grow in our understanding through bible study, meditation, and memorization. We grow in our relationship with God through prayer and fasting. We grow in our service through worship, evangelism, and ministry. We grow in our relationship with others through fellowship and love. Just like a child requires someone to help them as they grow, we need others to help us. So, find someone who is a mature believer and ask them to help you grow up.