ANZAC Day

25 April

Today (Sunday) is a really busy day for me. I was asked by the soldiers of the New Zealand group if I would participate in their annual "ANZAC Day" ceremony. It is an annual day of remembrance, much like our Memorial Day, where both Australia and New Zealand remember soldiers who fought together and were killed in WWI. It has grown into a national holiday for both countries and is celebrated at dawn on April 25 each year. I was asked to give the opening and closing prayer, as well as a brief "message" before the ending. (I think they asked me because my office is near theirs, but who cares. I was honored they asked!) I chose to tell the story of Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River on dry ground, and then building a monument from stones to commemorate the event. I told how the monument was designed to help future generations remember what took place that day and how God led them into the Promised Land. The annual Anzac Day ceremony is very similar. It is designed to remind us to never forget those who came before us and died in battle.

I had many nice compliments afterward and they invited me to a private breakfast (since it was only 5:20 am when it was over!). I met about 25 Soldiers from New Zealand and Austrailia who are stationed here. They only serve 6 month tours! Lucky bums. I also enjoyed listening to them talk. They have a great accent, and actually say things like, "No worries, Mate!" In fact, several of their Air Force pilots invited me to bring my family down to NZ for a visit after I get home. I'd love to, but who is going to pay for it? If they're offering a free trip... we're there! But somehow I doubt it. Anyway, it was a great cultural experience for me and I learned quite a bit today about NZ. (Did you know, in the summer down there you can snow ski in the mountains in the morning and then drive to the beach and swim in the ocean that same afternoon?) That sounds great! The attached pictures are of the ceremony this morning at sunrise (their Major addressing the crowd of about 40 people), and the wreath they placed to remember the fallen (Lest We Forget).

On a different note: I already preached one time this morning at the 10am service, and now I will pack this afternoon for another trip, and later tonight I will preach again at a different service. My topic is on the progression into sin, and I used Lot (from Genesis 19) as my text and example. He slowly moved closer to and then into the city of Sodom and became accustomed to the lifestyle there. In fact, he and his family were reluctant to leave, even when the angels told them it was going to be destroyed. I wonder how often we are like that? Living around so much sin, and not really noticing it anymore because we're so used to it? It's all around me here -- trust me, Satan is alive and well in this country AND in the military! So I want to open my eyes some more and try to open a few others to the dangers of the sin all around us. Please pray for me and this message, as well as for our safety on future travels. Thank you.