Yesterday was a very relaxing day for me. I played a bit of EQ2 and just enjoyed the day. Today I have been working on fund raising as well as canceling some appointments. Yup, I had to, I had no choice because I just dont have the funding to make the trip possible at the moment. I'm hoping next Sunday will be the day I arrive in Nashville but we'll see.

In church Sunday morning John talked about Acts chapter 9. We have been reading from Acts for about a month or so. The "heros" we read about in acts are in the bible for a reason. Pretty much any person listed there went thru some sort of sacrifice. They all went thru hard times!

When we think about ourselves and our relationship with God we should remember what we do in this life will effect the outcome of where we go after death. When I think about these things I always have the question in the back of my mind "Am I doing all I can do"? The answer is always no.

So what can I do to be a better christian?

An "Army of One" and a "Soldier of Christ"?

When going thru basic training in the United States Army we learn the "Seven Army Values". In many ways they are not (or shouldn't be) any different than my own as a christian. They are as follows...

*Loyalty
*Duty
*Respect
*Selfless Service
*Honor
*Integrity
*Personal Courage

If you try to remember then just look at the first letters and they spell "LDRSHIP" which is leadership.

I'm sure you can look at each and every word in these values and find the relevance in my point.

To be a soldier of Christ means to live by a code that in turn will enhance your relationship with Jesus. In the book of John chapter 14 verse 6 Jesus says "No one comes to the Father except thru me". So when your standing in front of Jesus and he explains why or why not you can enter, it will be because of your actions, choices and words.

The United States Army moto use to say "Be All You Can Be". In order to do that you have to make sacrifices in your life! To be the best you can be would entail giving and doing the most you can in what little time on earth you get. Thats alot to ask for! You know what your capable of. You know you can do more! And for most of us that far supercedes what were currantly doing at the moment!

Today the Army moto is "An Army of One". We as christians are also an "Army of One". By defenition an "Army" is "A body of persons organized to advance a cause". So we are an "Army of One" as christians. We fight evil on a daily basis and we are armed with the values of God.

So as a "Soldier of Christ" what can I do to be a better christian? How can I prepare for the conversation I will have with Jesus when I die?

These are hard questions to answer. I maintain my mission in hopes that others will be helped and it's at the sacrifice of luxury living. Big deal! Three hots and a cot! What do you think they did before television was invented? What about all the other luxuries we take advantage of? Well normally I wont eat until everyone around me has eaten first. The reason I do this is because I have the ability to get by without or "adapt and overcome". How hard would it be to get 2 pieces of bread and slap some PB&J on there? We only need food for nourishment. We dispose of it anyway. Why should someone spend $50 on the same amount of vitamins and neccessary proteins that they would get out of an apple and PB&J? I know a thick juicy steak tastes good, but I know others go without and do just fine.

I'm not patting myself on the back but instead making an example. You have basic needs in your life. If we put as much focus on what we need and less of what we dont, that would be a good example of personal sacrifice. As a "Soldier of Christ" I would hope that the ability to distinguish between needs and wants would come natural to you. But if not, think about how many Arby's Beef & Cheddars Jesus ate. How many Whoppers, steaks smothered in A-1 sauce, cheesecakes, Taco Bell Grandes', Coca-Cola's or Twix bars do you think Jesus ate? Think about the cost of that stuff versus the number of sheets of drywall you could use that money for and you will get a small glimpse of what these people on the Gulf Coast "need". Need as is defined in Websters Dictionary.

As a Soldier in the United States Army I learned that "need" is a term used for what it takes to survive and accomplish my mission. I know I need 200 calories per day, 8 ounces of water and an occasional splash or morale to survive. The sacrifice soldiers go thru is voluntary as well. Since the Vietnam War we have yet to draft one single person. So why would someone volunteer to go thru hardships?

As christians we volunteer our beliefs and act upon them of our own free will, much as the soldiers I'm describing. To be an "Army of One" we must unite and overcome any obstacle that would get in the way of our objective. So my mission is to help others overcome that obstacle and make believers.

*Its my "Loyalty" and my faith that inspires my service to God!
*It's my "Duty" as a christian to make believers of Jesus Christ!
*It's my "Respect" for the sacrifice Jesus made to give his life for mine!
*It's my "Selfless Service" that will make my conversation with Jesus a good one!
*It's my "Honor" and privledge to be blessed with the abilities to serve God!
*It's my "Integrity" that will lead an example for others to follow!
*It's my "Personal Courage" that allows me to take others by the hand and walk with them thru the dark!

I am a christian! I am a leader! I am in "An Army of One"! And it's such an awsome feeling that I encourage all of you that are reading this to be the same and do whatever it takes to become a "Soldier of Christ"!