A few months ago my family and I were sitting down at Tony Gore’s Smoky Mountain Barbecue and Grill to partake of the mouth-watering pulled pork and baked beans when Tony walked over to talk with us.  We were visiting for a while and he started to tell us about his time traveling with his group, Tony Gore and Majesty.  He told us that they would leave home as late as possible in order to make it to their first concert of the weekend, usually on a Thursday night. For the entire weekend they would travel from date to date with no special stops along the way, and “as soon as the last note was sung [they'd] hit the road and head home.”  Tony told us that he felt he missed out on a lot during that time but now that he is traveling solo he is taking advantage of the things he used to “just drive by on the interstate.”  He said, “Don’t get so caught up in what you are doing that you miss out on the little things,” and that has really stuck with us.  So this weekend when we were only an hour away from the Gettysburg National Museum with five hours of extra time on our hands, we jumped at an opportunity to see some of the history of our country.
Seeing all the different displays in the museum from the guns used to fight to the clothing the soldiers wore was remarkable. However, the thing that left the greatest impression on me was the Gettysburg Cyclorama.  The Cyclorama is a circular painting 26 feet high and 360 feet in circumference.  It shows the battlefield where the “final effort of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to destroy the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G. Meade” occurred.
When I entered the room it was as if I had just stepped onto the battlefield in the early morning, just before the great battle took place.  As the sun rose, the fighting began and I was awestruck at the intense combat that unfolded before me.  The scene was so stirring it brought tears to my eyes.  Here were the men who fought and gave their lives for what they believed in, who risked all that they had for the cause.  I asked myself, “Isn’t that exactly what I should be doing as a Christian?”
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  Amen!  Standing up for the Gospel is exactly what we are called to do, equipped with the armor of God.  I want to encourage you to walk by faith, stand up for Christ, and “fight the good fight!”

“I see the storm coming, and I know that His hand is in it.  If He has a place and work for me, and I think He has, I believe I’m ready.  I am nothing, but Truth is everything.”
-Abraham Lincoln, 1860