My wife and I have always believed in the importance of giving back. As God has blessed us, we have rightfully tried to pass those blessings along to others. Thus, in addition to tithes and offerings at our local church, we have tried to support other worthwhile charities as well.
Today, I want to call attention to two of these in particular. The first of these is the “Wounded Warrior Project”. Untold numbers of service men and women came home from Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan bearing the scars of their sacrifice. This worthy organization works hard to provide quality of life for individuals who have faced loss of sight, hearing, speech, and/or a myriad of other body parts.
Our monthly contribution is small. But is it also consistent. And when joined with tens of thousands of other contributions, it all adds up. As such, it surely makes a difference.
The second organization is “Tunnel to Towers”. According to their website, here is how this organization received its name:
On September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.
Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.
Thereafter, his brother founded “Tunnel to Towers” in his memory. This group works to aid First Responders and their families in much the same way that the “Wounded Warrior Project” works to aid military veterans. In each case, it is an attempt to acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifice of those who placed themselves in harm’s way on behalf of fellow citizens.
For our part, we support these two organizations in recognition of the service and sacrifice of fellow Americans on our behalf. It is the very least we feel that we can do. After all, we owe them so much!
As I write these things, it is now six days since the Jews of Israel suffered the worst attack on their people since the Holocaust. While some 1300 Israelis have been killed and scores of hostages have been taken, Israel is slowly taking control of the situation. My strong suspicion is that, although it will take time, she will inevitably prove victorious over her enemies.
In the meantime, the 7.2 million Jewish people who reside in Israel today know full well that they owe a tremendous amount to the hundreds of thousands of Israeli Defence Forces and First Responders personnel who stand between them and certain death. Both of these entities are proving themselves minute by minute as they now serve and sacrifice for their fellow citizens.
Jesus Himself was of Jewish descent. And He Himself once told us (in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 13) that “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
As a Christian, I am thankful for the Son of God, who was willing to lay down His life for my eternal benefit. As an American, I am thankful for all those who were willing to lay down their lives for my earthly benefit. And as human being living on this planet, I am thankful for anyone who is willing to lay down his or life for their fellow man (or woman or child) as Israel’s military and First Responders are even now doing.
Never are we more like the Son of God Himself than when we choose to do this very thing!
SOURCES:
https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/;
https://t2t.org/stephens-story/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm.
Today, I want to call attention to two of these in particular. The first of these is the “Wounded Warrior Project”. Untold numbers of service men and women came home from Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan bearing the scars of their sacrifice. This worthy organization works hard to provide quality of life for individuals who have faced loss of sight, hearing, speech, and/or a myriad of other body parts.
Our monthly contribution is small. But is it also consistent. And when joined with tens of thousands of other contributions, it all adds up. As such, it surely makes a difference.
The second organization is “Tunnel to Towers”. According to their website, here is how this organization received its name:
On September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.
Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.
Thereafter, his brother founded “Tunnel to Towers” in his memory. This group works to aid First Responders and their families in much the same way that the “Wounded Warrior Project” works to aid military veterans. In each case, it is an attempt to acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifice of those who placed themselves in harm’s way on behalf of fellow citizens.
For our part, we support these two organizations in recognition of the service and sacrifice of fellow Americans on our behalf. It is the very least we feel that we can do. After all, we owe them so much!
As I write these things, it is now six days since the Jews of Israel suffered the worst attack on their people since the Holocaust. While some 1300 Israelis have been killed and scores of hostages have been taken, Israel is slowly taking control of the situation. My strong suspicion is that, although it will take time, she will inevitably prove victorious over her enemies.
In the meantime, the 7.2 million Jewish people who reside in Israel today know full well that they owe a tremendous amount to the hundreds of thousands of Israeli Defence Forces and First Responders personnel who stand between them and certain death. Both of these entities are proving themselves minute by minute as they now serve and sacrifice for their fellow citizens.
Jesus Himself was of Jewish descent. And He Himself once told us (in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 13) that “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
As a Christian, I am thankful for the Son of God, who was willing to lay down His life for my eternal benefit. As an American, I am thankful for all those who were willing to lay down their lives for my earthly benefit. And as human being living on this planet, I am thankful for anyone who is willing to lay down his or life for their fellow man (or woman or child) as Israel’s military and First Responders are even now doing.
Never are we more like the Son of God Himself than when we choose to do this very thing!
SOURCES:
https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/;
https://t2t.org/stephens-story/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm.