Praying God’s Peace over you as we remember Independence Day – July 4.
Your LOOP friends and family
Fearless on the Fourth of July
Patrick Coble
A soldier’s story of how a community helped him battle his fear of fireworks through prayer.
I could see the excitement on my 7-year-old’s face in the rearview mirror. We were driving home from church, and our pastor had talked about the town’s Fourth of July celebration, next week at the ball field.
The church would be sponsoring a hot dog stand, a moon bounce and face painting. There’d also be a baseball game.
“It’ll be awesome, Dad,” Angus said. “Will you go with us this year? We can watch the fireworks!”
I had to suppress a shudder. My wife, April, shot me a worried look. “Angus,” she said, “remember, Daddy needs to leave before the fireworks.”
Angus’s face fell. “Oh yeah.”
It might seem strange that a thing that brings so much joy to a 7-year-old would strike fear into the heart of a grown man—especially an ex-soldier. But I hadn’t attended a Fourth of July celebration in six years.
Not after what happened my first Independence Day back from active duty in Iraq. We were living in El Paso at the time, in army housing at Ft. Bliss.
April and I brought baby Angus with us to a friend’s barbecue. We stood in the backyard chatting while Angus napped in the house. Then I heard it. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Small ammunition—machine-gun fire.
“Incoming!” I yelled, and dove to the ground. I lay on my stomach, my hands covering my head, my heart pounding as I waited for the all clear.
“Patrick, man, you all right?” I looked up to see my friend and April crouched beside me. What were they doing there?
Then I started to get my bearings back. I wasn’t with my battalion in Iraq. I was home. Across the street I could see the neighbors, lighting strings of firecrackers. Not gunfire. Just firecrackers.
I stood up, as embarrassed as I’d ever been. “Sorry,” I muttered. I knew I wasn’t in a combat zone, but my pulse raced like I was. My stomach was in knots, every hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Everyone was sympathetic, but I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the party. I kept feeling that something or someone was waiting to attack from out of nowhere.
When the city fireworks started, I retreated inside the house and April followed, missing the show on my account. No more fireworks for me. Never again.
I pulled the car into our driveway, my son’s request hanging in the air. All these years later I still couldn’t face the Fourth.
I had my own tradition—shutting myself in my bedroom, turning down the lights, cranking up the volume on the TV and playing College Football on PlayStation till the booming and crackling was over.
We went inside. Angus’s disappointment really got to me. I revered my father—he was an Army veteran, the main reason I enlisted. My son looked up to me the same way, and now he was old enough to draw his own conclusions about why I hid out every Fourth.
Would he learn that the best way to deal with fear is to shrink from it? Lord, is that what I’m teaching him?
I’d been through a lot of changes in the past year. Last summer, I’d lost my job at an oil company. Our family’s finances got stretched to the limit.
It took me a few months to find another job, driving a truck for a soft drink company—at a third of my former salary. I was grateful, but for a while we weren’t sure how we could afford to buy Angus new shoes for the upcoming school year.
Then we heard about a community outreach sponsored by a church. They were buying shoes for kids. We went to the shoe store, and Angus picked out a pair he liked. I felt a little ashamed accepting charity, but the minister was friendly. “I can’t thank you enough,” I said when he paid at the register.
The next morning was a Sunday and I was planning to sleep in, as usual. But at 7 a.m. Angus marched into our room. “We need to go to church,” he said, “to thank them for the shoes.”
“We already thanked the minister,” I said. “Remember?”
Angus wouldn’t budge. “The people at the church gave their money to pay for the shoes. They’re the ones I want to thank.”
That Sunday service was the first I’d been to in a long while. Everyone was welcoming. What the pastor said really moved me. “We often feel alone with the challenges we face,” he said, “but God is always with you.”
My eyes filled with tears. Yes, my family faced challenges, but we weren’t alone. I stood up, walked forward and accepted God into my life. April,
Angus and I became regulars. The youth pastor talked me into helping with the youth group. April volunteered for community outreach projects, like the shoe drive. Getting to know God had enriched my life. Could he help me overcome something that felt so deep and so impossible to conquer?
All day I couldn’t forget that disappointed look on Angus’s face. I wanted to see him excited! After we put him to bed that night, I told April what was on my mind. “I want to do this,” I said, “for Angus. I just don’t know if I can.”
“I believe you can this year,” April said. “You’re different now. I’ve seen it.”
At our church’s parenting class that week, I told everyone about the fireworks, about Iraq, about my terror. About how sometimes, wars are never over. They gathered close to me. April put me on the prayer chain and posted about my struggle on the church’s Facebook page.
I was stunned by the messages I received. “We’re all praying for you.” “You are loved and being looked after.” “May God bless you and your family.” It was like having a whole new band of brothers I could count on. With their encouragement, I signed up to take a shift at the hot dog stand.
I called my dad, knowing he’d have good advice. “Position yourself so you can see the fireworks being lit,” he told me. “That way, you won’t be caught off guard. And, son, most important…”
“Yes, Dad?”
“Surround yourself with people you know and trust.”
Finally it was the Fourth of July. On the drive to the baseball field, Angus couldn’t sit still in the backseat, pressing his face against the window. The field came into view, and then the parking lot, jammed with tents and booths.
We pulled in. Some families were already spreading blankets out on the grass, saving the best spots for the fireworks.
Angus made a beeline for the moon bounce. I headed to the hot dog stand to hand out franks. Then April, Angus and I sat in the stands and watched the ball game—our boys from Liberal versus archrival Dodge City. Liberal beat them by two runs! I cheered as wildly as Angus.
At dusk, I got antsy. Band music blared. Last year I would have hurried home to that dark room and those video games. April took my hand and held it tight. We watched the sunset. I remembered what my dad said. Where were the fireworks being lit? Would I be able to get a view?
“We’ve got your back, Patrick,” I heard someone say, and turned to see two of our friends from church. Another couple we knew was next to them. “We’re praying for you,” they said.
I noticed a lot of our church friends gathering around. I thought about the prayer chains, the Facebook messages. So many people asking God to watch over me. Of all those I could surround myself with, was there anyone more powerful than God? Or anything weaker than my fear?
The pyrotechnics team took their place in the outfield. I hoisted Angus onto the dugout and stood beside him. The team lit the fuses. Lord, I know you’re here and you’ll be with me.
The first firework whistled into the air and popped. I took a deep breath, and kept watching. Then came another explosion and splash of color. Silver streaked the sky, pompoms of red, white and blue.
“Look, Dad!” Angus shouted, pointing skyward, his eyes lighting up. I wrapped my arms around him.
“I’m looking,” I whispered, gazing high into the Technicolor sky, celebrating, for the first time in years, my Independence Day. It was beautiful.
Purpose, Living the Vision God Set You Apart For (Living a Life of Harmony) pt.6
All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation
We’ve been in this series now for several weeks on finding our purpose and living the vision God set us apart for…
We’re going to end the series today talking about being a peacemaker…
How do we become the person who maintains an atmosphere of harmony in all areas of our life?
It’s easy to come to church with the attitude of loving others the way Jesus loves me…
It’s easy to come to my life group with an intentional mindset of harmony…
But how easy is it to be the person who ushers in an atmosphere of harmony everywhere we go?
When we started this series, we looked at the personal self-evaluations from a biblical perspective that we must be willing to do, so that we successfully find ourselves in a position where we are in sync with the vision God is calling us into…
This, and maintaining harmony in all areas of life is what will give us more opportunities to see where God’s Holy Spirit is working around us…
So that we can join Him in what He is doing…
How do we maintain harmony in the workplace, with our friends and family, in our marriage… In all areas of life how do we maintain harmony?
1 Peter 3:8-12: 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.[a] Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”[b]
There’s a lot in this passage… It’s actually quite deep… So how do we live this out?
When we live this type of a lifestyle in all areas… Marriage, workplace, neighborhood… Everywhere we go…
We put ourselves in a position to hear the voice of God’s Holy Spirit with clarity…
When this becomes part of who we are… We are living out God’s vision for how we are to represent His Kingdom here on earth.
In the NLT this passage reads that we are to sympathize with others…
Remember, everyone has a story… Everyone is carrying some type of hurt or experience that may surface at the most inopportune time…
So it would be good for us learn to sympathize with others and try to see things from their point of view…. Being tenderhearted and having a humble attitude.
Tenderhearted is a fancy word for gentle and kind… Sympathy, tenderhearted, a humble attitude… Not retaliating insult with insult…
When we live this type of lifestyle, we are more apt to hear God’s voice…
We may even be given some insight as to why a person acts the way they do…
This in turn should help us be a little more sympathetic to what another person is or has experienced in life…
And the eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers…
This is the result of pleasing God… Of representing His Kingdom well here on earth!
This entire passage gives us a principle of how God’s Kingdom operates…
When we aim to live in harmony… The result will be pleasing to God… He will watch over us… And His ears will be open to our prayers… This is favor!
God doesn’t play favorites… But He does show favor…
Romans 14:17-19 – For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
The Kingdom of God is not about getting your convictions to line up with my convictions…
We are not supposed to be arguing over such things that are not that important… We covered this last week…
This passage gives us another principle to the Kingdom…
Not getting caught up in useless arguments, but living a life of good, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit is what creates an atmosphere of harmony…
This is what is pleasing to God… And this is what brings favor with those around us.
Here’s the thing about all of this… It’s a much harder lifestyle to live…
It’s much harder to be intentional on being a peacemaker and living a life of harmony…
I think that’s why, when we do make this part of who we are as a person….
God’s Word says He will make it so that we find favor with those around us…
That’s what makes it a biblical principle… It’s a cause and effect…
God is saying, “If you do this, if you act like this, if you treat others in this manner… Because your life is pleasing to Me, I will react in a way that brings a blessing to you, that brings favor to you.”
Matthew 5:9 – God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Since we are called to be like Jesus… We must develop the character of one who creates an atmosphere of harmony… One who works for peace… Aims for peace!
Galatians 5:16-17: 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
Galatians 22-23a: 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
The moment we invite Jesus into our lives and put our trust in Him, we are no longer living life for ourselves…
We are now living out the vision He set us apart for… And that’s what this entire series is about…
Setting ourselves up to successfully be the person God created us to be… To do the good things God saw us doing long before we were born!
And today is all about learning how to nail our sinful desires to the cross and live a life that follows the lead of God’s Holy Spirit…
When we learn to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives we are no longer looking out for our best interest, but the interest of others now comes first…
As we look out for the interest of others… God Himself will look out for us!
1 Corinthians 10:24 – Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
1 Corinthians 10:33 – I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
The Apostle Paul is teaching by example here… Why is he putting the interests of others first?
So that many may be saved!
By putting others first… Creating an atmosphere of harmony, kindness, and joy of the Holy Spirit….
Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. (2 Timothy 2:25).
This is the kind of life the represents the kingdom of God…
And if my humility… My intention of being a person who creates an atmosphere of harmony…
Changes someone’s heart and draws them into the Kingdom… Then mission accomplished!
When we seek justice when injustice prevails… When we defend the defenseless… When we speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves…
When we are intentional on representing the Kingdom of God well here on earth…
We create an inviting atmosphere in which people are curious about what this Kingdom living is all about.
This is all part of living out the vision God is calling each of us into…
James 2:14 – What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
What good is it if our faith in Jesus doesn’t match how we live our lives?
If our faith in Jesus does not represent the Kingdom of God according to what is written in His Word…
Have our hearts truly been transformed… Have we truly given our lives over to Jesus…
Have we truly crucified our sinful nature to the cross as spoken about in…
Galatians 2:20 – My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…
Remember, Jesus’ prayer for the church? Our love for one another will prove to the world that God sent His Son into the world…
James 3:13 – If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:17-18 – But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
Is this a challenge or what? If you are wise and understand God’s ways, then prove it by living an honorable life…
Prove it by representing the Kingdom of God in the way we are instructed to represent it through the truth of His Word!
This could very well become a prayer for many of us…
“God, will you help me live a life that is honorable… Doing good works with the humility that comes from Your wisdom… Wisdom from above… Wisdom that is pure… So that I may be sincere in all ways… Planting seeds of peace and harmony.”
This prayer… When genuinely lived will bring a harvest of righteousness.
What James is teaching us here is another biblical principle in how the Kingdom of God operates!
Many people wonder why they don’t see God moving in their lives… It’s possible they need to look in the mirror and have conversation with God…
What is it that needs to change, and how can I be the person who is living out the vision you set me apart for, God?
In closing…
Church, we live in a world that is so divided… As I said last week, we have become a culture that’s addicted to being right, even when we’re wrong!
Arguing over politics, theology, ideologies…
Now more than ever, an atmosphere of harmony is needed…
I try to structure my sermons in a way where Scripture does most of the speaking… Allowing for Scripture to back itself up in many areas…
Today, I wanted to show you what benefits we reap when we follow the instructions of God’s Word…
When we represent the Kingdom in a way that is pleasing to God…
We don’t live this way to benefit what God gives…
We live this way because it is pleasing to God…
It is serving God in the capacity that represents His Kingdom here on earth…
And by doing so we reap the benefits of His Kingdom principles!
We live this way because our authenticity is what draws others into the Kingdom
Ephesians 4:2-3 – Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
