Preston Mitchell's Blog

American Pride

Last week Dedo and I had a chance to take a trip to Washington D.C.  Last time I was there, I was 10 years old so I don't remember a lot about the city.  But I love history, so I was excited to be able to go for a few days.

I think every American should go to DC and experience the history that made the United States the greatest nation on earth.  Actually reading the original Declaration of Independence was awesome.  As I looked at those 56 signatures, it occured to me that they were signing a death warrant.  The King of England would hunt these men down during the war and try to destroy them.  What courage they must have had.  Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old when he signed.  What must have been running through his mind? 

The Constitution of the United States made me shiver as I read those famous words "We the people of the United States...  Most of the signatures are fading away, although you can see "B. Franklin."  He was the only one who signed both documents.

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the "Star Spangled Banner" flag that flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote the famous song.  Displayed in the American History Museum, it is torn and dirty, but still in one piece.  There are 13 stars and strips and the thing is 14X32 feet. 

I love all things Lincoln.  To see the top hat that he wore the night he was assassinated is just incredible.  His blood on the sleeve of a woman who was in the box with his is also displayed.  The Lincoln Memorial was my favorite memorial around the National Mall.  He was a great man who died for his country!

For the first time in my life, I got to see my uncle's name on the Vietnam Memorial.  Uncle Walt was captured by the Viet Cong in 1959 while during secret ops with Laotian troops.  He was tortured as the only officer captured and killed as he tried to escape.  His body has never been found.  He is the 13th name on the first wall (1959).  To actually see it brought back a lot of memories of my uncle.  He was a hero.

Then, last but not least...seeing Jerry Seinfeld's "poofy shirt" was great.  It's one of my all time favorite episodes and just seeing the shirt made me laugh.

You can't help but be proud of our nation.  The thing that stands out clearly is that our forefathers were men of faith who built this nation on God.  It is sad to see how far we have drifted from their original intent.  They knew that the nation had to be founded on truths, not opinions.  God has blessed us greatly, but it is time that believers get more involved in the direction of this nation.  We need to vote, speak up and financially support the men and women who believe like we do.  I am not going to argue, debate and worry about things I have no control over today.  But every election day, we can control the direction of the nation.

All in all, it was a terrific time and I returned back to DFW proud to be an American.

Life and Death

It never ceases to amaze me how thin the veil is between life and death.  We are only one breath or one heart beat away from eternity.  I've been thinking a lot about life and death after a 23-year old man collapsed during one of our Easter Services.  A doctor sitting two rows back was able to immediately begin chest compressions as our hosts got him out into the Atrium.  The paramedics came and continued resuscitation on the young man as he was transported to a nearby hospital.  Today, he is in a coma with little chance of survival unless God miraculously heals him and that is what we are praying for (www.edyoungblog.com).

The most surprising thing to me was that the young man was someone that grew up with my daughter.  They went to school and college together. His parents are good friends of ours.  Jared had no previous medical problems.  He was a healthy and active young man who had just moved into an apartment to be on his own.  Doctors have no clue about what happened to him.  They can help with the symptoms but are at a loss to pinpoint the trigger that caused Jared to collapse.  As great as science is, it still cannot explain how the human body lives.  The cause of life can only be explained by a Creator who sustains us every second of every day. 

As I have thought about Jared and his family, several things have crossed my mind.

    *    Life is never promised past our last breath.  As James says, we are like a vapor...

    *    God is sufficient in our greatest times of crisis.  I can see that in the lives of Jared's parents as they deal with this terrible crisis.  As hard as it is, they have a calming faith that is indescribable.

    *    The local church is critical as a supporting partner to families.  Our church has done a magnificent job of staying with the family, praying with them and feeding them.  It has been wonderful to see how the local church takes care of the needs of people in pain and suffering.

    *    Jared collapsed on Easter Sunday morning while worshiping God and surrounded by his family and friends.  From his last conscious moment to standing before the Father, he was worshiping.  That is incredible to me.

We are still on our knees praying for Jared and his family.  I believe God can heal Jared immediately.  But if He chooses not to, then Jared is ready to face God eye to eye. He is a follower of Christ and because Christ defeated death through his death, burial and resurrection, Jared will also experience a death, burial and resurrection.   

He is ready.  Are you?

The Politics of Me

Since the election of President Obama, I have some friends who think the world, government and the economic system we have may be over.  It may be!  But I'm not smart enough and I don't watch Fox enough to really offer an intelligent opinion on how things are going. I know it's not good for the government to fire the car guy, but the car guy wasn't doing that well.  Neither were any of his fellow car guys. And I don't want to be the car guy, so who knows? 

I can remember as a kid hearing the same kind of talk after President Kennedy was elected!  A Catholic President was almost more than people could handle.  My parents and every Baptist in the South thought the world was done and life would never be the same.  It strikes me that politics is an up and down subject.  If you are down on the government, wait awhile and it will change.  If you are up on the government, same thing.  You will be down.  I keep up with politics but it's not a passion of mine.

I guess I always think back to the Old Testament and remember how God worked through the evil kings of Israel.  It didn't stop His plan, no matter who was "in charge."  I think we forget that man is not "In charge" of what is happening in the nation today.  Man does what man does best - sin and struggle to do things in our own power.  That will never work.  Yet, over the 233 years of America, God has always protected this nation.  One day, he may decide it's not worth it and leave us to our own devices. Than we have more serious problems than who is President.

That's why I am much more passionate about the local church than politics.  We are the only hope.  We can cuss and discuss politics, but the true change we desire will happen when we decide to love our neighbor and care for those who have less than we do.  Jesus wasn't that big of a fan of military power and world dominance.  He wasn't all that thrilled with the Roman Empire, the Babylonian Empire,  the Persian Empire or any empire for that matter.  He was all about the remnant who really had no power but by the grace of God.

I enjoy the opinions of people who study and read about our society.  I am amazed at the intelligence and passion of those people.  So if I am sitting in a group of people and a political opinion breaks out into a heated discussion about the future of this country, I may not say a whole lot because hopefully a God smarter than me has it all under control. 

Opening Day

My favorite sport to watch in person is baseball.  There is nothing like it.  The pace of the game, the strategy and the action are perfect to sit back and enjoy watching.   I had the opportunity to attend Opening Day at The Ballpark in Arlington to watch Cleveland and Texas kick off the season.  The Rangers dominated the game. We sat in the "all you can eat" section of Home Run Porch and just chowed down on hot dogs, peanuts, chicken sandwiches and nachos.  Opening Day is so special because there is only one of them every year. 

Baseball's opening day is like a new beginning.  No matter how bad the season may be, all the teams are equal on opening day and anything can happen.  Just ask Tampa Bay and Philly. I never get that same feeling on the opening day of football, basketball or hockey.  But in baseball, the world is a better place on opening day.  The stadium is packed, the sky is bluer, the F-18's are faster,  the grass is greener and the hot dogs taste better.  The field is in perfect symmetry and everything makes sense.  Player introductions, first pitch by President Bush, and the National Anthem aren't tricked up like in other sports.  The NBA is like going to a rap concert with a little basketball thrown in.  No thanks! 

I think heaven will be like that. Everything will make sense and our physical senses will be heightened to a supernatural awareness of the beauty of God and His creation.  Baseball is the closest to the promise of  "a new heaven and a new earth."  

If the Rangers win the division, it will also be the greatest miracle of God since the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.  But there is hope!