On Monday, May 26, 2014, we remembered all of the soldiers who have served and given their lives for this nation; this day is Memorial Day. Holidays such as Memorial Day have seemed to have lost their meaning. For the vast majority of people, it is now a day that Americans get an extended weekend to go to the lake, have a picnic, or barbecue someplace to relax and enjoy ourselves. However, Memorial Day was set aside for much more than that. Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday wherein the men and women who perished while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces are to be remembered. Following the American Civil War, the day was known as Decoration Day and was created to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the war. During the twentieth century, Memorial Day was expanded to honor all Americans who have offered their lives while in the military service. Many families have been affected by this sacrifice; they have lost their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. Let us relish our holiday, but let us also take a moment to remember all of those who have sacrificed their lives in service to this great nation that we call our home, America. Let us pray for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one while they were serving in the military. I am truly thankful for all of the men and women who have forfeited their lives in service for our country to preserve the freedom that we celebrate today. May God comfort the hearts and minds of the family members who bear the burden of that loss.

Moral character is something that has been lost in our society. Character is defined as the way you act. It portrays who you are on the inside and the outside. You are defined by your character. Are you honest? Do you steal or cheat? Do people trust you to keep your word? In our culture we have elevated ability to a place above character. No one cares if you beat your spouse as long as you do your job well. No one cares if you are a liar as long as you bring in a profit. In our society we should demand people be honest and not cheat, steal, or anything else you can name that is negative. We should demand that the people we hire have character filled with integrity. Today, politicians will say anything to get your vote, but they will want a pass when they are held accountable to their words. Sometimes the very idea that people would expect them to keep their word offends them. How have we gotten so far away from the truth? We lack character and believe being held accountable for our actions and words is unjust and even somehow evil. We must, as a people, embrace those qualities that make us human. Let us not support the liar and the immoral. We should demand that the people we associate with have good character. Bad company corrupts good character.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

President Woodrow Wilson set aside the second Sunday of May starting in 1914 as “Mother’s Day”. Originally, it was founded as a day for mourning women to remember their fallen soldiers and achieve personal peace. The greatest champion of Mother’s Day was Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. See, it all started in the 1850s when the West Virginia Women’s organizer Ann Reeves Jarvis held Mother’s Day. Her organization had many lofty aspirations, including dropping the infant mortality rate. They were also the first organization to put standards on the quality of milk in order to help curb related sickness (Katharine Autolins). The group also tended the wounds of soldiers regardless of allegiance during the U.S. Civil War. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, best known for her composition of “The Battle Hyme of the Republic”, issued a widely read Mother’s Day proclamation calling for women to take an active political role in promoting peace. So originally Mother’s Day was about women helping others. Today, let us celebrate Mothers for what they do and how hard they work. Let us take a moment to appreciate their influence being ever present in our lives. I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the great Moms out there who truly care.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

When we as people demand our rights instead of taking responsibility for our actions we create a mess. Look at our country. It is so messed up because its people only demand their rights. They demand someone take care of them and help them. It is almost like people today make themselves helpless. Demanding our rights creates strife and discord in our lives. Strife and discord kill relationships, destroy organizations, and create confusion. People who demand their rights also place blame and it will always be someone else’s fault. People who take responsibility do not blame and do not point fingers. They ask how they can improve and what they could have done differently. They are willing to change themselves or make changes in their lives. They say it is my fault and no one else’s. Being responsible is necessary in order to be healthy and have healthy relationships. It is necessary to have hopes that things will get better. Take a person who blames his or her parents for all their issues. Their parents may have been awful, but the parents are not the ones who suffer. If this person only blames his/her parents for his/her issues, the person will never get better. If they would take responsibility for their choices, they would experience more freedom. There needs to be an expiration date on what was done to us. We need to take responsibility for our own choices and decisions. Your choice, one leads to a mess while the other leads to a better you.

In every organization you have leaders and you have the “the leader”. A leader can generate bad leadership and bad organization, or good leadership and good organization. The leader determines the direction, vision, culture, and goals of an organization. They also determine the collective attitude of an organization. If the people working under the leader have a bad attitude, the organization’s success is sabotaged. Attitude determines the altitude. People left to themselves with no direction from a leader are a constant reminder of why we do what we do. Those same people will develop their own culture and their own goals. When that happens failure is close by. Leaders must communicate what they expect as well as constantly remind the people working with them of their shared vision. The absent leader and the micro manager also stifle the growth of the individuals who work under them and consequently will run the organization into the ground. We should write our vision down and make it very clear so those who read it may run with it (Habakkuk 2:2). We must remember to keep our attitudes right while getting our jobs done. We must appreciate what we have and take care of it. We must honor those over us. We must strive to be the best we can be. Let us practice being better leaders and prepare to grow in leadership.