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Altogether Lovely Oft I am asked why Christ I love, And what He means to me; I answer, “He redeemed my soul. By dying on the tree.” He came from heav’n to rescue me, My load of sin He bore; And since I’ve learned to know His love, My dread and fears are o’er. And now He lives in glory bright, And pleads my cause on high; And soon He’ll come and take me home, Where pleasures never die. He is altogether lovely, Yes, the fairest of the fair, Chief is He among ten thousand, And with Him I’ll glory share. Ironside, H. A. (2009). The Poems and Hymns of H. A. Ironside (p. 8). Logos Research Systems, Inc. (Public Domain)

Scripture: So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. - Deuteronomy 31:6 Wait: It's good to be reminded, encouraged, reassured,... confidence and courage come from certainty of success,... it's contagious. Observe: Ephesians 6:13-15 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. Request: LORD, Give faith like Daniel in the lions' den, Give me hope like Moses in the wildness, Give me a heart like David,... LORD Be my defense, so I can face my giants with confidence. Dedicate: Sanctus Real - Confidence

PENTECOST!!!!! Today, May 28 is known and celebrated as Pentecost Sunday. The 50th day after Passover. Passover, when Jesus gave His Life as a sacrifice for the sins of all man so that we may be saved. Before He ascended back to Heaven after His Resurrection, He gave a command to the disciples…to not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father. He told them you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. He goes on to describe what that means, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be my witnesses(martyrs) unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8 The early Church was birthed in the fire of Pentecost!!! They preached repentance with power, prayed for boldness, spoke truth even if it meant prison or death… they did not back up one inch from declaring the Name of Jesus Christ. They called out religion. They proclaimed only one name given by which men can be saved and it’s a free gift of grace through faith. They laid hands on the sick and they were healed, they cast out devils, and they raised the dead. God worked with them confirming His Word in them. They were birthed in the fire that cost them everything yet they willingly laid it down to pick up their cross and follow their Jesus. The lived by the Holy fear of God…not man and they reverenced the Holy Ghost working in their lives. On this Pentecost Sunday, God, I pray for a refreshing on your people that we too tarry until we hear our own sound from Heaven. God, how we need you now! #PentecostSunday2023 #ChristianMilitaryFellowship #CMF #USMilitary

Burying Old Hostilities In 1913, two groups of men eyed one another across a hundred foot span in a Pennsylvania field. Long, gray beards swung from faces weathered by age and indescribable loss. Some leaned on crutches. The empty sleeves of others flapped in the July breeze. Each wore a military uniform. On this same plot of ground, fifty years earlier, the earth had lapped up the blood of these men’s brothers. Thousands of union and confederate soldiers had died in this most horrific of battles. Now, half a century after those hostilities, three hundred survivors of Gettysburg met again. Brother faced brother in this Civil War reenactment. At the signal, these old enemies advanced toward one another. But as the soldiers met, there was no clash of swords, no screams of the wounded and dying filled the air. Instead, as one eyewitness described it, these men “who half a century earlier had fought…with bayonets and butts of muskets, clasped hands and buried their faces on each other’s shoulders.” That’s the burial our Lord desires for each of us. To bury our faces on the shoulders of our enemies, to experience how forgiveness shows how small and mean hate truly is. That is what Jesus gives in his own healing embrace of us. An embrace so tight there’s no room for animosity, recrimination, or judgment to squeeze in. He calls us friends; better yet, he names us brothers. And he will never call us anything different. Pastor Chad Bird