Storming The Beach!

Dr. Mike Murphy
June 5, 2024

As we reflect back on D-Day, and remember the sacrifice many made for us so we might experiencing freedom, I am reminded of a long-time neighbor of ours who was there that day.  Often, I would listen closely as he would recount the events of that day. I can still see the fear in his face as he told the story. And I can still feel the tears that would form in his eyes as he spoke of the friends he lost that day.

As the small boats pulled toward the beach, he told me of the bullets you could all but feel whizzing by.  The endless explosions that hit all around him, causing waves in the ocean that reminded him of an approaching storm.  He would explain to me how these explosions so surrounded them, that their small boat could not make it all the way to the beach.  Soon, he found himself treading chest deep in the ocean, carrying countless pounds of gear, as he struggled to make his way to the sand.  With each step, he could watch as the soldier beside him would fall. And with each passing moment, the water became red, and the dead served as cover from the onslaught of fire.  He said he had no clue how he made it to the shore, or even how long it took him. And the excitement he felt as his feet came out of the water, was soon replaced by the increased fire that was now coming his way.

It felt like hours that day, as he made his way to cover, and even longer as they captured the strongholds that lined and overlooked the beach.  And as the day turned to night, he talked of how an eighteen years old boy looked back over a beach that was littered with the bodies and the faces of those he had been talking to just hours before.  Voices of those lost, he could still hear. Faces of those now dead, he could still see. And as sad as the loss of these left him, what he was a part of that day always turned his sadness to joy, every time he proudly told me the story.

A generation of young men that stormed a beach that day.  A beach that most would never see again, but a beach that many they served with would never leave.  Each of these young men knew the risk as they entered those small boats, and made their way to that beach.  Most realizing that many of the faces of those beside and across from them, would be faces they would never see again. Many also knowing it would be their face that others would again never see, as it would be their life the price of that day would cost.  But it was a price they were more than willing to pay. A cost they were willing to covering, so others, like me, might freely live. And a cost they knew if they did not pay, the evil that so many throughout this world would continue to see.  A cost that found them willing to pay all, so future generations might still be able to have all. A cost each of us could never repay to all of them as we remember this day.

As I remember my neighbor, and I think of what he did for me that day, my mind wonders forward to all I now see.  To the world I see around me today, and the blessing that surround me each day. To the opportunities I have this day, because of the courage he showed that day.  On that day so many years ago, on a beach so many miles away.

As I think of that day, I ask myself, "Do I have his courage?  Can future generations count on me, the way he has shown me I could count on him?"  And as I ask myself these questions, I ask myself an even greater question. As a Christian, can the Lord now count on me to faithfully and dutifully "storm the beach" for Him, the way those young men did for me on that day so many years ago?

We find ourselves living in a world today where evil does not just look to raise its' head, it now looks to proudly boast its' presence.  An evil, that not only looks to attack this church, but has the destruction of this Church in its' sights. An evil that sees persecution as a tool always at its' disposal, to silence the voice of all who seek to speak for Christ.  And an evil, that looks to wage a war of propaganda against this Church, seeking to convince this world that it is those it looks to silence that offers this mankind its' greatest threat.

In the face of this evil, can Christ count on me to climb into that small boat and fight my way to the beach?  Can He count on me to face all evil looks to throw at me, and still faithfully and dutifully fulfill all He is calling me to do?

His Word tells me, "for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."(2 Corinthians 10:4).  Am I willing to face the fire that evil directs at me, and find in me the courage to come ashore, and take down those fortresses? Willing to give Him my all, so that future generations of Christians, may know the freedom to bring His all to a needing world?

It is time for my words and my actions to show Christ that I am willing to storm that beach.  Time for me to rise, put on each piece of armor He has given me(Ephesians 6:10-18), and attack evil's stronghold that stands right in front of me.  Time for me to be strong and courageous, not found trembling and afraid, as my feet touch the shore, and I approach evil's fortresses. Knowing that with each step I take forward, He will be walking right beside me, and His direction and leadership, will never fail me.

As I prepare for this battle, I am left with a few question.  Questions I now have for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  How many of you are willing to offer your all and enlist with me in Christ’s army?  How many of you have armor in hand, and are ready for the onslaught that will come as we climb into those small boats?  How many of you will I see beside me as I come ashore? How many of you are willing to give your everything, all you have to offer, as you storm that beach for Him?

"'No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:17

A Simple Choice

Dr. Mike Murphy

June 2, 2024

I find myself today, anxious to watch play out all the plans the Lord has for you and me.  A six pound, twelve ounce future bundle of joy, that in five months you will name Charlotte.  I will be a good baby, by everything people will tell you. One that smiles more than cries, and one who will delight you in sleeping through most nights.

As I turn seven months old, I will develop a high fever that will bring the greatest of fears to you.  Although the doctor will not be overly concerned, as a new mother, it will be your constant worry. Finding you rocking me in your arms all night, as you hold me close.  And with each rock, a future smile will come to your face as you remember each song you sang to me that night.

As I turn two, my curiosity will become as big as my attempt to take each step.  ”Why”, will soon become my favorite word, and you will hear me say it so often, you will hear it in your sleep.  But with each “why”, you will watch my mind grow, and you will soon discover just how bright your little girl is.

As I start school, it will feel like my friends are growing faster than my questions were once coming.  I will be a popular girl, who others are attracted to by her smile. Who is also as polite and courteous, as I will be smart.  A child who each teacher will want as I move to the next grade, and who each day will make you proud, as you see the grades marked on my tests.

As childhood ends, and the teen years begin, you will watch as my mind will often shift from grades to boys.  You will find me far more consumed with the outfits I want to wear, than whether or not my homework is done. And you will often wonder if I will ever stop asking you about what makeup I can wear.

As I begin to drive, you will feel the disappoint that peer-pressure can often bring to a young girl.  One night you will get that dreaded call, with me telling you how sorry I am, but that I have been drinking and just cannot drive home.  As your anger will subside, you will sit down to talk to me, and explain so well to me, the worries you have for me. And although through the tears we will hug, I will still find myself grounded for the next two months.

As graduation comes, I will have a scholarship soon waiting for me, as you hear me say I will have a doctor's office in my distant future.  But as college comes, so will the love of a young man. A young man, who you know will distract me, but your heart tells you he will always be good to me, and each day will cherish me.  A young man, who will have the greatest impact on my life. A young man who is destined to be in the ministry, and who will minister to me early on, as he will lead me to Christ. A young man, who will leave me hearing wedding bells before I can hear the bells of college graduation.

As my marriage life starts, you will watch me devote myself to the ministry as much as you also see that devotion from him.  With the small church he will minister at, you will see me giving my all. Leading the youth, even trying to lead the choir as I occasionally sing a note off key.  But each day, you will watch as my love for him grows almost as much as you will see my love grow for the Lord.  

As the days go by, you will soon see my becoming a mother, too.  A little girl on the way, that will soon remind you so much of me.  And you will smile as you see me becoming a new mother, with the same worries and concerns that you one day had, not so long ago.

So many things to be proud of, waiting in the distance for both of us.  So many memories that will forever be entwined in the thoughts of both of our minds.  A lifetime of smiles, of tears, of concerns, of hopes, and of dreams, that we will see play out in the most amazing of ways.  So many plans the Lord has for both of us, so much purpose He has waiting ahead of us.

But as I feel the first twitch of pain, I realize, all of His perfect plans, are the farthest thing from what you now have planned.  Plans that see me more as a burden and a hardship, than they leave me as a part of your greatest hopes and dreams.

With what you call “a simple choice”.  I see you pushing aside all the plans the Lord has put in place for us, all the hopes and dreams He lovingly looked to place in your arms as I was born.  I watch those plans quickly begin to fade, and as I feel the pressure and pain building on my small body, I realize that the hope He offered is quickly being sucked from your body, as parts of me are being torn away.

In this world today, it is impossible for us to not feel for any young woman who finds themselves unexpectedly pregnant.  Feeling the weight of everything on them, as if their hopes and dreams are crashing down around them. And as they feel this build, they hear this world tell them how easy it is to just get rid of all this pressure.  A clean break, by simply choosing to abort the child, and start new again. Convincing them that they can live their own dream, without the child being a part of their plans. But I would just ask any young woman facing this choice, to take a single moment of their time, and read one simple verse. “'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’”, Jeremiah 29:11.

As you read these words, I pray you will take each one to heart.  And as you read these words, I pray that a rash decision will be replaced in your heart with a lifetime of hope.  A hope that looks past the hardship that surrounds you today, to give you a glimpse of the dreams and plans He has in place for you tomorrow.  A hope that does not leave you looking back with a heart full of regret, but looking forward with a heart filled with joy. A hope that will soon fill your mind each time you see the smile on your child’s face.

Today, I plead with you, I pray for you, that the lifetime joy of His plans will outweigh the pressure you now feel from your sudden and rushed plans.  And that today, you will make His plans your simple choice.

Please pray with me that abortion will no longer be the leading cause of death we see in the world today.