To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.     -Margaret Fairless Barber

There are some things we want to remember, and some things we want to forget. But what do we do when the things we want to forget are also the things we should remember?

Last week as I shared another eulogy at Barrancas National Cemetery at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, I remembered. As a jet flew over the pavilion just as I began my remarks, I remembered the sounds of freedom. As I scanned the landscape dotted with thousands of white grave markers, I was reminded of the costs of freedom. As I looked into the faces of a veteran’s family, I remembered the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women who served to preserve our freedom.

As a pastor serving in an active military community, I am privileged to serve alongside those who serve or have valiantly served our country. But I also serve in a community where an extraordinarily large number of residents have lost a son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, friend or neighbor on the field of battle.

So for me, Memorial Day prompts more of a sense of reflection than celebration. Memorial Day is not just another “day off” but a day to remember those who have lost their lives in the military service of our country. This is a day to remember those who, according to Henry Ward Beecher, “hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.”

In a culture that is increasingly attention-deficient, remembering is a painful but necessary discipline. Memorial Day provides a designated occasion “to look backward for a while to refresh the eye.”

Remembering stories from the battlefield may keep us consciously aware of the harsh realities of war and lead us to be more aggressive peacemakers. Revisiting the historical narrative of our major conflicts may enable us to learn from both the successes and the failures of our ancestors. When we remember the fallen we keep alive the individual and corporate legacies of valor and courage that inspire and challenge us to be responsible citizens of the free world.

When we fail to remember the sacrifices of those who came before us, we succumb to a convenient amnesia that eventually robs succeeding generations of acquaintance with our national heritage. To fail to remember creates a contagious apathy that leads to a neglect of both our freedom and our citizenship.   To fail to remember can produce a false sense of security and an inaccurate perception that we are exempt from future warfare. If for no other reason, we should remember in order to guard against what George Washington called “the impostures of pretended patriotism.”

Remembering our unabridged heritage can invoke in us both a gut check and a reality check. The kind of remembering we need to do on Memorial Day is an uncomfortable but necessary discipline, a practice that forges vision from memory and distills wisdom from history.

This year as we observe Memorial Day let us take time to remember the men and women who served with honor and distinction to establish and preserve our freedom. By remembering our heritage, we may be better equipped and motivated to engage our adversaries with discernment and determination.

(Barry Howard serves as the Lead Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

The Holy Spirit seems to be the most misunderstood and underrated member of what is often referred to as the Trinity. Yet the primary way we experience God in this life is through the Spirit.

Yesterday in our worship services I shared a message about “Getting Better Acquainted with the Spirit.” As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure from this planet, he shared with them about the coming of the Holy Spirit:

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”   John 14:25-27 NIV

In case you missed the message yesterday, here are 10 summary points aimed to help us get better acquainted with the Spirit:

1. The Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God in our world, best known through the personality and teaching of Jesus, who longs to reside and preside within the life of every human being.

2. As followers of Jesus, our body is the temple, or primary residence of the Spirit. In other words, God’s address is the same as yours.

3. Christians use a variety of language to describe their experiences with the Holy Spirit.

4. Our experience with the Holy Spirit never makes us spiritually elite or superior to any other human being. (One sure sign you’ve got the wrong spirit is that you have an inflated ego, or that you are condescending or judgmental of others.)

5. The Spirit will never lead us in a direction contrary to what the Bible teaches.

6. The Spirit engages the best of our cognitive and emotive capacity to communicate with us and to minister to us. We should be careful not to rely merely on our feelings to perceive the presence and power of the Spirit.

7. The Spirit works in us to accomplish many purposes including the following: 1) To convict us of sin (John 16:8), 2) To confirm our faith (Romans 8:16), 3) To comfort our grief (John 14:16), 4) To calm our fears (John 14:27), 5) To communicate truth (John 16:13).

8. The Spirit works in mysterious and unpredictable ways, and cannot be domesticated or manipulated.

9. The Spirit encourages, equips, and empowers us for the challenges of life. If you hear a voice in your head condemning you, berating you, telling you that you are worthless and that there is no hope for your future, you can be sure that voice is not the Spirit of God.

10. The Holy Spirit aims to unify and motivate God’s people to serve cooperatively and courageously, and with fresh relevance, in our world and in our community.

As we prepare to live in the power of the Spirit this week, consider the counsel of my colleague Chuck Queen:

If you want to participate in the work of the Spirit in the world, it’s really very simple. Just look for ways to love people. Look for ways to take care of our planet. Look for ways to bring healing and hope to those struggling with sickness and despair. Look for ways to lift the poor out of their poverty. Build bridges, tear down walls and extend boundaries. The one who is filled with love is filled with the Spirit. The language of love is the universal language of the Spirit.

(Barry Howard serves as Lead Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)