EDITOR'SNOTE BY M ICHELLE GRANADO
When we celebrate Independence Day in America, on the Fourth of July, we are celebrating the hard fought freedom gained in 1776, even as we celebrate our current liberty as a nation today.
It is also through the establishment of this freedom to worship that the call has been placed on believers in America to take this beautiful gospel of freedom in Christ to the world.
As Christians, freedom to worship God in relative safety and security is of great significance, especially as we acknowledge the times we are living in, as believers in many other nations of the world face persecutions and even death.
Saint Paul does warn us not to use this liberty "as an occasion to the flesh", this freedom that we experience was not given so that we can please every appetite of our flesh, to do whatever we want.
Many of us get caught up in the euphoria of the day ? we are focused on the "how" and the "where": do we celebrate with family or friends, should we barbecue, go to a soccer game to enjoy the spectacular show at the end, or do we attend a more low-key local event? No doubt the fireworks are spectacular and the food is great, but that is not all that we are doing when we celebrate. Increasingly, we are reminded of the contributions of our veterans, to the continued fight to maintain our liberties. There are television programs, and articles in newspapers and magazines that highlight the work of veterans and those currently deployed to war-torn areas of the world, and rightly so, because they are part of the equation that helps to maintain our freedom. But what of the other part? There's something in Saint Paul's words that rings true for us, the United States of America. This nation seems to have been "called into liberty" just as Saint Paul writes in Galatians. God's call on the early settlers gave them a desire to have a place where they could worship God freely, it is what brought them to this land.
" Bu t t h r ou gh love be ser van t s t o on e an ot h er " (Galat ian s 5:13) We have been given liberty not to be lords over each other, but to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:15 tells us: "For all the law is fulfilled in one word even this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as they self." Jesus told his disciples that they should serve one another as he served them. He served them by washing their feet, and he served us by taking on himself the sins of us all. He bore our sins on his own body. So if we are in Christ, he has given us the power to do as Saint Paul says, "Bear ye one another 's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We have been made free in Christ ? to love as Jesus loved because that is the law of Christ ? free to live as Christ, "as he is in heaven so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Christ Jesus is not limited, bound, powerless, selfish or defeated! He is a victorious Lord and we can also celebrate the liberty we have received from him and through him.
JULY IN THIS ISSUE PERSONAL TESTIMONY Com plet e Fr eedom
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by Donna L. Barr
REFLECTION Su m m er t im e
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by Sandy McClaury
POETRY Fr eedom Rin gs, Hope Sin gs
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by Barbara Elkin
SECTION Af f lict ed Bu t Not Cr u sh ed
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by Abby Alderton
A Woman?s Heart and Soul Magazine Pro31Media LLC Designer: Danya Granado Copyright Š 2017 by Pro31Media All rights to articles reserved by the author of the article. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
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BY DONNA L. BARR I t h ou gh t I k n ew Wor ld War II. Th e st agger in g n u m ber s, h ow ever , h ave lef t m e st u n n ed, h ear t br ok en . The scope of its carnage is beyond sobering. At war ?s end, 72,468,900 military and civilian lives had been lost in 48 countries . . . 72 million! The Soviet Union by far suffered the most with 27 million deaths. Germany and Japan combined lost over 7 million. Poland?s deceased accounted for 17% of its population, many victims of the Holocaust. The United States of America sacrificed 418,500 husbands and fathers, sons and daughters. Of personal interest, Pennsylvania?s casualties were second only to New York?s, significantly higher than other states in the Union. The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, caused an influx of American men and women wanting to enlist. PFC Robert J. Garton was one of them. He was my Grandfather.
PFC Robert J. Garton, U.S. Army 157th Infantry 45th Division 7th Army Buried in Epinal American Cemetery, Dinoze?, France, 1944
Failing his vision test the first time, Bob memorized an eye chart and in the early winter of 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army. By 1944, he was overseas battling in North Africa, Italy and France. During the Liberation of Paris he wrote home, ?You?ve never been kissed until you?ve been kissed by a French man!? Tall, dark and handsome, an immaculate dresser and talented photographer, he had a wonderful sense of humor and found comfort attending military church services during his tour of duty. He celebrated his birthday on October 22, 1944,
5 and on October 24 wrote home. That letter would be his last. Wounded in action on October 25, he died of his injuries the following day leaving behind his wife, daughter, and mother. My mother, Christine Garton, was raised by her mother and grandmother, two young widows. Her mother, Mildred Sunderland Garton, joined the war effort in a factory to support their family while her grandmother, Florence Garton, raised my mother and took care of the home. I have great respect for this strong mother-in-law /daughter-in-law team who lived well together, my personal examples of Ruth and Naomi. In October 2005, honoring my Grandfather ?s birthday, my parents took me, my sister, and our families to the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. This moving experience was a worthy tribute to our Greatest Generation! Shortly thereafter, at a Sunderland family reunion in New Jersey, my Mom?s younger cousin shared a story that left us reeling. Her professor from Rutgers University, recognizing her name and confirming her relation to the Garton line in Philadelphia, revealed that during the war he was pulled away from an explosive device just before it detonated, his life spared. Garton?s was not. Tears swelled in our eyes as I searched my Mom?s face. How was she taking this news? How was this revelation possible after all these years? We could barely speak. What an unexpected gift!
American pride and gratitude run deep in us. Yet as I prepared my heart for this article I wondered, ?Do I view Jesus as a hero even more so than my Grandfather? Do I value freedom found in Christ?s forgiveness as greater than even my American freedom? Do I have compassion for those not yet free?? The words ?free indeed? rattled around in my mind.
Sometimes, if we?re honest, the battle wounds in our own lives never fully heal.
The very night these thoughts weighed within me, my family sat down and watched ?October Baby,? the story of a failed abortion and a troubled girl in search of her birth mother... and answers. In the movie, a priest explained this truth: ?Only in forgiveness can you be free. ?But if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed?.?? John 8:36 Tears trickled down my face. There they were. The very words I had been searching for, ?free indeed?. My heart broke for those struggling to be free, to forgive themselves. Sometimes, if we?re honest, the battle wounds in our own lives never fully heal. We bury the deep, dark secrets we don?t want anyone to know for fear they will view us differently. The painful memories, regrets, fear, hurt, distrust and anger haunt us and we remain prisoners of our own wars. But know this: Jesus? forgiveness is complete! That?s a freedom worth believing in, worth fighting for, a freedom that will last!
Top: PFC Robert Garton with his daughter Christine, my mother Bot t om : Mildred Sunderland Garton, Robert?s Wife (l), and Florence Garton, Robert?s Mother (r)
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ren?t summer days the days we remember the most? Don?t get me wrong, I love all four seasons for different reasons but, from my earliest childhood to just last year, my most vivid memories are the ones from summertime. I can almost reach out and touch the feeling of stepping off the bus on the last day of grade school and knowing that my life was spread out before me, unfettered and free, and the possibilities were endless? at least for the next three months. Even now when summer doesn?t necessarily mean total freedom, it is exciting and adventurous and carries with it a sense of anticipation.
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For me, summer evokes images of going barefoot, splashing through sprinklers, and snow cones at the park. I can smell the hot dogs at a baseball game, the sulfur of Independence Day fireworks and the lingering smoke in my hair from a campfire with s?mores. I crave cherries and berries and peaches as soon as the weather gets hot. What is the first thing you think of when
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someone says summer? Long sunny days spent poolside, lakeside or ocean side? Maybe you prefer to camp in the cool and quiet confines of a forest. Water skiing, hiking, biking, swimming, rafting, sailing, gardening and barbecuing; summer has so many places to go and things to do. Paradoxically, it is also the time I want to go slow. Summer is my time to relax, calm down and loosen up. What is better than a warm summer evening, sipping a cold drink outside watching the stars twinkle into existence? Could be watching my giggling kids sharing Popsicles on the porch, way after bedtime, sunburned, bug bitten, covered in Band-Aids and dirt. Or maybe laying on a blanket in the grass, listening to nothing but the sounds of the crickets, and pointing out the Dog Star as it cruises the sky from sun down to sun up. I love when the summer days get so hot that the evening cool down is a gift of welcome relief. I can sleep with the windows open to catch a night breeze and wake to the sounds of summer birds announcing the arrival of another carefree summer day. Summer always seems like a fantastic, fleeting spell ? over in the blink of an eye. Maybe that is why we hang on to the memories so tightly? Something warm and fun and calm to dive into when the days are short or gloomy and the snow starts to fall. Summer day or summer night, summer fast or summer slow, when my kids grow up I am so glad they will have those indelible summer memories. After all, I am still making more of my own. Picnic, anyone?
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BY BARBARA ELKIN
Bodies of the innocent lie broken, burned and buried, As carnage caused by cruel minds cries out from deep debris. Hearts of hurting citizens seek solace, ask for answers. They fiercely rage at evil and fly flags of liberty. Heroes come from everywhere to meet a million needs, To sacrifice themselves with no regret, no looking back. Great people of the USA give all, then give again, United boldly for the cause, with courage equal to the task. Tears of loss and heartache mark a nation steeped in pain, But not a nation void of hope that hides from terror?s hand. America is rising up to face her foe together, With one loud voice of freedom resonating through the land. People of our country long for peace and pray with passion. God?s wisdom, comfort, guidance, help we seek on bended knee. Uncertain though tomorrow is, our course is strong and sure. We?ll seek the truth. We?ll seek the right. We?ll seek our God. We will be free!
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PC: Danya Granadoo
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Bob Jones Bike Trail, Avila Beach, CA
Sunset at Avila Beach, CA
Doyounot know? Haveyounot heard?The Lordistheeverlasting God,theCreator of the endsof theearth. - Isaiah40:28
Lake Shasta, CA
Pine trees in Umpqua National Forest , Oregon
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?We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.? - 2 Corinthians 4:8
BY ABBY ALDERTON ?Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed? . Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him.? - Isaiah 53:4-5, 10a Jesus Christ was crushed. He died on the Cross for our sins. He was crucified, He was crushed, so that we would never have to experience the separation from God that He experienced on the Cross. Jesus experienced the crushing weight of the payment for our sins. We don?t have to bear the eternal condemnation for our sins if we trust in Him. That being said, sometimes it feels like we?re being crushed. Sometimes the weight of trials, or afflictions, or loss, or heartbreak, or broken dreams seem to crush us. The weight, the burden, of all the brokenness around us presses in with crushing force. What then? What do we do when we feel crushed? We pu r posef u lly r em in d ou r selves of t r u t h . ?But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.' The
Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.? - Lamentations 3:21-26 -
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Remember that Christ Jesus was crushed for you. Remember that He died for your sins. Remember that if God loved you enough to send His Son to take the eternal punishment for your sins upon Himself, then He loves you enough to help you make it through today. Remember that you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Remember that this light, momentary affliction is not worth comparing to the eternal weight of glory. Remember that this earth, these trials, are but a breath in light of eternity. Remember Heaven. Remember God?s love for you.
?He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?? - Romans 8:32 He died for you. He rose again for you. He paid the debt of your sins. Wh at gr eat er pr oof of His love do you n eed? He will sustain you. He will provide for you. He has a good future planned for you. He will not let you be crushed.
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