This weekend is simple in its message . . . Remember.

At the heart of the day, we are to remember and honor those men and women who freely gave up their lives, who made that ultimate sacrifice, so that we could enjoy political and physical freedom. We are to remember their willingness and their courage.

But we also need to remember those left behind: their mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, sisters and brothers, children, and fellow comrades. These are the wounded.

As Americans, we also choose this time to honor those who have served or who are currently serving. As one quote says, we are the “home of the free because of the brave.”

Below are a few other quotes that I feel reach to the heart of the weekend.

"It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle." — H. Norman Schwarzkopf

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." --G.K. Chesterton

"Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well." —Jennifer M. Granholm (47th governor of Michigan)

"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." —President Harry S. Truman

Below are links to two of my favorite musical selections. The first is a medley of the Armed Forces Anthem. The second is Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American.”

May you have a relaxing Memorial Day Weekend with friends and family and as FDR said about the attack on Pearl Harbor, may we also say about those who have died in service to our country: “May we never forget.”

When you grow up in California, you grow up with a tremendous variety of trees. As the largest agricultural producer in the United States and one of the top ten in the world, California grows almost every kind of fruit and nut tree. She also boasts of giant sequoias in the Sierras and awe inspiring redwoods in the Coast Range. In addition, California’s valleys and foothills are home to almost every type of oak tree. Add to those her other native trees, such as ash, sycamore, aspen, and cottonwood as well as the transplants (eucalyptus and most of the palm trees) and you have a veritable statewide arboretum. However, of all the trees in California, one has special meaning to me––the olive tree.

I was born in Corning, a little town in Northern California known as the olive capital of California and home to “Bell-Carter Foods, Inc., the largest olive processor in the United States and the second largest in the world. But besides my "birth tie" to the olive tree, the main reason I like it so much is because it makes me feel better about myself.

First of all, olive trees aren’t grand or majestic like the sequoias and redwoods. They are pretty ordinary looking, and as they get older they, well… they look old. Their trunks get twisted and thick. And while the sequoia and redwood get all the credit for their longevity (3,000 and 2,000 years on average respectively), olive trees live a long time as well. In fact one olive tree in Crete is about 4,000 years old and still producing fruit!

Second, the olive tree is a late bloomer. It won’t flower until it is at least four years old and won’t be harvested until it is fifteen.

Third, olive trees can thrive where other trees can’t, in poor soil and drought conditions.

Fourth, whereas most fruit trees are a pick and eat, both edible olives and olive oil are labor intensive processes.

Finally, despite its rather unimpressive appearance, every part of the olive tree has value. Besides the fruit itself, one tree will produce more than 20 gallons of olive oil a year. The olive leaves were used to crown Olympic champions, and the wood of the olive tree is one of the most beautiful, unique, and coveted woods on earth. Even its image is revered. The olive branch is a symbol of peace, and either it or the tree itself appears on the flag of seven nations, four U.S. states, and the United Nations.

So when I see all the beautiful people in the world getting attention, when it takes me a long time to internalize something and put it into practice, when it seems like God has to work really hard and for a very long time to mold me into the person He wants me to be, or when times are just tough, I remember the lowly olive tree, its hidden beauty, its perseverance, and all that it contributes to the world, and I feel much better.

This past winter, California saw the end of its four year drought with an abundance of rain and snow––too much at times––resulting in flooding, maxed out reservoirs, and one very close call––the potential collapse of the Oroville Dam.

So what happened? Well, for the short version of a very long story it started with damage to the main spillway. Since water had to be continually released to make room for more water, the 250 feet long, 170 feet wide, and 40-50 feet deep hole could not be fixed. The spillway, in its damaged state, still had to be used though officials were hopeful they could monitor the flow and minimize further damage.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and more rain than expected came. Now the emergency spillway had to be used, and it had never been used since the dam opened in 1968. Within a day there was a problem––“the earth was eroding away in a path that could dig a canyon or tunnel underneath a concrete retaining wall holding in a 30-foot wall of water in Lake Oroville. If the hole grew . . . [it could cause] the failure of the concrete wall . . . resulting in a massive flood” (“Updates”).

This potential disaster, however, was not without a heads up.  As reported in the LA Times,  “More than a decade ago, several environmental groups argued that substantial erosion would occur on the hillside during a significant emergency spill,” and they encouraged officials to re-engineer the spillway.

For whatever reason, one most likely being that they never imagined “a significant emergency spill” ever taking place, the officials did not heed the warning, and the unimaginable did occur. Fortunately, this story had a happy ending. No break, no collapse, no loss of life.

Though we hope that we will remain steadfast and faithful in stressful situations or temptations, we really don't know how we will fare until those difficult times come, and the fate of the Oroville Dam gives us some insights as to why we sometimes don't. First of all, how we deal with the smaller issues determines whether or not our main spillway is in tact. Little cracks or chinks in our behavior, left unattended, only lead to more water seeping in until the hole grows bigger and bigger and our structure (integrity and steadfastness) are in jeopardy. When that happens, we collapse under the pressure.

Likewise, we too are often warned in advance (through God’s Word or another person) that if we don’t take care of a problem in our behavior or character now, when facing temptation or tough decisions, we won’t be able to resist and stand firm later. Unfortunately, like the state officials, we, too, often don’t believe that ultimate test will either come or that if it does, we will be able to handle it.

Whether we are dealing with earthly structures or our own spiritual integrity, we should learn the lesson of the Oroville Dam. Left unchecked, small cracks can lead to devastating ends.



“Updates: New storms approach, but officials confident Oroville Dam and spillways will hold up.” Los Angeles Times. 17 Feb. 2017. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-live-updates-oroville-dam-oroville-dam-crisis-how-we-got-to-this-1487089359-htmlstory.html

Photo credit: Gonzalo “PeeWee” Curiel: for the Chico Enterprise–Record.

Most Christians are familiar with the Biblical account of Elijah putting the prophets of Baal to shame by calling down fire from heaven to consume his soaked sacrifice, while the Baal prophets stood by and watched their own sacrifice just sit there.

The purpose of this exhibition was to convince King Ahab and Queen Jezebel that they needed to acknowledge the one true God and repent. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, the queen vowed to kill Elijah. I guess she wasn’t too pleased with the sacrificial results.

Elijah then goes and hides, utterly depressed. After Elijah is ministered to by an angel, God tells him to stand on a mountain and see the glory of the Lord. Elijah witnesses a destructive wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God was not in any of those three.  After the fire, Elijah hears “a still small voice,” and that is how God came to him (I Kings 19:12).

There is much we can take away from Elijah’s experience. First, God makes Himself known to everyone in a powerful way. The Baal prophets witnessed God’s power just as Elijah did. Likewise, we are reminded in Romans 1:20 that no one has an excuse for not believing in God “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities––his eternal power and divine nature––have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Likewise, He also comes to all of us through a still small voice.

Even before a person comes to know Christ as Lord and Savior, God is speaking to him through his conscience. Romans 2:15 speaks of those Gentiles who did not have Jewish law but followed a similar moral code and says that “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Though the Gentiles didn’t know the one true God yet, they did know what was right and what was wrong.

We don’t like our conscience “accusing” us. That makes us uncomfortable and indicates that what we are doing is not right. So what do we do? Do we listen and obey? Sometimes, but other times we go looking for those who will affirm and validate what we want to do. 2 Timothy 4:3 says “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.”

Not only is seeking out approval for immoral behavior a personal danger, but it is also a cultural danger as well. For when enough people desire to have their “itching ears” scratched and others listen and agree, then the world’s foundation shifts, its plumb line changes, and there is a further departure from God’s truth.