necessity.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

How do you know the right time? When is the time to dance, and when is the time to mourn? When is the time to be silent, and when is the time to speak out? When should we weep, and when should we laugh? When the world is filled with such chaos and confusion, how am I to know the proper time? Praise God that I don't have to go it alone...any wisdom on my part comes not from me, but from my Lord. But still I wonder...if there is a time for war and a time for peace, why does my heart want peace so badly? When I see pictures of my Ben carrying a gun in Afghanistan, I want peace for him; my big brother should be at home with his wife and family, not having to defend my freedom against terrorists who want to strip it away. When I see the faces of the children held captive and forced to fight for Joseph Kony's rebel army, I want peace for them; these innocent little boys should never see what they see.

But the Biblical truth stands: There is a time for war and a time for peace. It is a necessity in this cruel world that my brother and his platoon fight in Afghanistan. It kills me to think of my big brother, the boy who used to get wrapped up in his suspenders and wear "sharp" eyeglasses, fighting to what could be his death, but he's doing it because he's a hero - a champion for our freedom. Sometimes fighting fire with fire is a necessity...terrorists won't listen to peace so we must beat them at their own game.

But the war against Joseph Kony cannot be fought with fire. Joseph Kony is a cruel, vicious man in northern Uganda who leads a rebel army. Joseph Kony, much like a terrorist, refuses to have peace talks, and refuses to give up his inhumane ways. But the war against Kony must be fought with words and prayer, because personally, I love the LRA (Lord's Rebel Army: Kony's rebel force). The LRA is made predominately of abducted boys...children. 90% of Kony's rebel army is built of innocents. To fight Kony is to fight children. There is a time for silence and a time to speak. The time for silence has passed, and the time to speak is now. Take a stand and let Joseph Kony know that we will fight this war with voices raised and prayers lifted high. Watch "The Rescue" movie at therescue.invisiblechildren.com, and sign up to attend The Rescue in your city. Your voice will be heard and a difference will be made.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Ephesians 6:12

มุ่งหวัง

don't forget to hope.