Each day we hear many voices.

We hear the voices of children as they play and grow and learn.

We hear the voices of friends and colleagues as they tell stories that make us laugh or make us think.

We hear the voices of news commentators to find out what is taking place around town and around the world.

We hear the voice of the announcer, telling us very sound reasons why we should buy the product that is being advertised.

Then there is another kind of voice, the kind we really would not like to hear, but which demands our attention.

“Bill, I’m afraid we’ve got to lay you off.”

“What are you doing? Who ever thought you were capable of doing this job?”

“Mrs. Adams, this is Dr. Jones. Your test results are in and I’m afraid it is not good news.”

“Mr. Smith, this is the police department. We have your son down at the station.”

These are the kinds of voices that can change our lives, voices bearing bad news. If too many of these voices are heard it can cause us to feel overwhelmed. And if they continue without pause, they can cause some people to try to escape. If we try to escape, another set of voices, very seductive ones, begins to be heard.

“Come on. Have one more drink for the road.”

“Here, try this pill. It will help you forget all about your problems.”

“Come here. Let me take care of you for a while. Your spouse doesn’t understand you like I do.”

Whose voice do you hear? Whose voice do you listen to?

The Bible tells us that the Lord is our Shepherd. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Jesus himself is our Good Shepherd. We are to listen to his voice, just as sheep listen to the voice of their shepherd.

I think this is a wonderful analogy – us being sheep and Jesus being our shepherd. A shepherd knows his sheep. Individual sheep in a flock all look alike to the untrained eye. A good shepherd, however, can tell them apart.

A man who was tending a large flock explained this to a friend who expressed surprise at his familiarity with each animal. “See that sheep over there?” he asked. “Notice how its toes turn in a little. The one behind it has a squint; the next one has a patch of wool off its back; ahead is one with a distinguishing black mark, while the one closest to us has a small piece torn out of its ear.” His friend had never stopped to think about how all the sheep might be different and that the shepherd would know all his sheep.

That is how it is with our Lord. He knows each of us —completely — with all our individual strengths and weaknesses, all our successes and failures. He watches over each of us with discerning love and sympathetic understanding.

Do you hear the Shepherd’s voice calling your name? Listen to his voice. Listen to the voice that tells you that you are loved, that you are precious, and that you are a priceless treasure. Know the Shepherd, just as the Shepherd knows you.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Are you hearing voices – or The Voice?

During this patriotic season, there is much fanfare and excitement among Americans.

However, it is after these festivities that we discover this nation’s heart and soul.

The Pharisees' question in the Gospel of Mark, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar?" forced a wedge between God and nation. Then Jesus tied them together when he said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

During our nation’s 237th birthday celebration, let’s ponder our core values.

The family has been the center of every nation that has attained greatness. Hitler saw this when he tried to form his master race. In our homes, we help build our nation’s integrity, justice, peace and honesty.

The ballot box is our last resort. We do not elect public officials to establish policies; they merely ratify what we were taught and teach in our homes. Jesus emphasized the home’s primary nature when He said, "Honor your father and your mother."

A nation strengthens with its people’s courage. When young service members go to war, there are no artificial, Hollywood-style Rambos among them, no superficial John Waynes. Everyday folks quietly, but valiantly, line up at recruiting offices and sign up for battle.

Every drop of blood, every broken bone, every shattered body, every tear and every prayer put life into America’s fabric.

Moral courage — determination to do what is right in every situation — also is vital to a nation’s strength.

Finally, a nation is made good by its churches. Asked why North America was great, statistician Roger Babson quoted a president of Argentina: "South America was settled by the Spanish, who came in search of gold; but North America was settled by people in search of God."

America had its birth in a yearning to breathe free and spiritually. "Enough of being required by the king to worship contrary to our desires."

Our nation has gone through a decline of spirituality in the last three decades. Morals have lowered; political and military strength and integrity have waned.

However, when Christians decide to be serious and put our spiritual shoulders to the wheel, we see dramatic transformation. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, to modern times’ overwhelming problems, our nation has known one crisis after another.

Moreover, God has intervened to bring us through.

He will do it again. Sacrifice purchased our freedom in America.

We must accept Him and His purpose and plan for each of our lives, and for our nation, and allow Him to heal us.

If we will, He will.

Eugene Strickland is the Director of Missions for the Okaloosa Baptist Association.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Family values shape the nation’s future

Editor's Note: This column concludes the story of Mary, Johnny and the broken glass statue, which appeared in the June 15 and June 8 editions.

Summer vacation ended — as did the visit with Grandma and Grandpa — and Johnny and Mary went back home to their parents.

Soon, school resumed and classes were in full swing. The incident of breaking Grandma’s favorite delicate glass statue was long forgiven and forgotten.

Eventually came Thanksgiving, Johnny’s favorite time of year — that meant another visit to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Johnny always looked forward to the celebration. A delicious dinner was usually followed by a visit to the park and throwing a football with Dad and Grandpa.

However, as the family approached the grandparents’ house, the child felt nervous. He recalled the glass statue incident, and the memory still haunted him.

The statue could never be repaired to its original splendor, which saddened Johnny. Grandma had said it was okay, that it was an accident, but that beautiful work of art was lost forever.

Before long, Johnny and his family arrived at their destination. The aromas of roasting turkey, mashed potatoes, different vegetables, pumpkin pie and apple pie made his mouth water and his stomach grumble.

After hugs and kisses, Johnny walked into the dining room. A glass sculpture on the table caught his eye. It sparkled like a thousand diamonds.

If he looked at it one way, it appeared like the sun rising above the horizon. If he looked at it another way, it appeared like snow-covered mountains with ice reflecting the sun’s sparkling rays. And if he squinted, it looked like a rainbow.

He turned and saw Grandma watching him. Breathlessly, he said to her, “Grandma! This is beautiful! Where did you find this?”

With a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye, she said, “Johnny, I know you don’t recognize it, but this little statue has been made up of all the pieces of the little bird in the nest that got broken this past summer. I took the pieces to a friend of mine who works with glass. This is what he did with them.”

Life sometimes throws difficult curves. Dreams we once held can be shattered. Yet, with our Lord’s loving presence and power, those broken pieces can be molded and reshaped into something unexpectedly beautiful.

Jesus can — and will — pick up the broken pieces and put them back together in a new and beautiful way.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Jesus can help pick up the broken pieces

Editor’s Note: This column continues the story of Mary, Johnny and the broken glass statue, which appeared in the June 8 News Bulletin.

Grandma forgave Johnny for accidentally breaking her treasured glass bird statue, but the boy’s heart still harbored bitterness.

If Mary hadn’t startled him as he carefully lifted the figurine, none of this would have happened.

It was all her fault.

For a few days, Johnny avoided Mary. When he couldn’t avoid her, he spoke harshly toward her. When anyone else was around, he didn’t speak to his sister — except with his eyes, which would have burned holes through her if possible.

Grandma and Grandpa learned of this tension between Mary and Johnny, and noticed it was stemming from Johnny.

That evening during dinner, Grandpa asked Johnny about it.

 “I’m very angry with Mary for causing me to drop Grandma’s statue!” Johnny blurted out. “If Mary hadn’t startled me, I never would have dropped it! It’s all her fault and I’m angry with her!”

Grandpa sat quietly for a few seconds before asking some questions.

“Johnny, did Mary put the statue in your hands?”

 “No.”

“Did Mary pull on your ear or twist your arm until you picked up the statue?”

“No.”

“Did Mary do anything to make you pick up the statue?”

“No.”

Johnny could see Grandpa’s point.

Grandpa said, “So, it is safe to say Mary did not entice you in any way to pick up the statue. You did that all on your own…”

 “Yes,” Johnny said.

Grandpa paused a few moments. “Johnny, at whom are you really angry?” he said.

Johnny had a revelation.

 “I’m actually angry with myself,” he said. “Grandma said to not pick it up, but I went against what she said. If I hadn’t picked it up, Mary wouldn’t have scolded me, I wouldn’t have dropped the statue, and Grandma’s statue would still be sitting on the shelf. It was my choice. I just didn’t want to have to admit it.”

Johnny turned to his sister and said, “I’m sorry I tried to blame you. And I’m sorry I treated you so badly. I hope you will forgive me.”

She smiled and said she did.

Jesus said in Luke 17:3, “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

We must confess our mistakes. We must own up to our poor choices. And if someone hurts us, we need to forgive them.

This doesn’t mean we condone what was done; it means the power of the wrong action is lifted from us to bring new freedom in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Admit your mistakes and receive forgiveness

Mary and Johnny explored all the old items in their grandparents’ house.

On one shelf in the dining room, Johnny saw a beautiful glass sculpture of a bird in a nest. As he reached for it, Grandma quickly intervened and said she didn’t want him touching it. The sculpture was very precious to her.

Johnny and Mary said they would leave the sculpture alone.

However, as the days progressed, Johnny couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful piece. Each morning when the sun shone through the windows, the bird sparkled brightly.

One day, Johnny could not help himself. He carefully picked up the fragile glass bird and nest to admire it.

"Johnny! Put that down!” Mary shouted.

She startled her brother, who dropped the sculpture, which fell to the floor and shattered.

Carefully, Johnny picked up the pieces and carried them to his bedroom. He sat on his bed, looked at them and wondered what to do.

Should he hide the pieces?

Blame it on Mary?

Glue it back together?

Johnny realized he had to tell Grandma the truth.

He found her sitting in the living room, knitting a sweater. Johnny walked up to her and, unable to look her in the eyes, showed her the shards of glass.

"Grandma, I disobeyed you,” he said quietly. “I’m very sorry.”

Grandma carefully took all the pieces of glass from Johnny’s hand and asked, "When did this happen?"

"This morning, just after the sun came up,” he said.

"It is almost supper time now,” Grandma said. “Why did you take so long to tell me?"

"Grandma, I was afraid to tell you,” he said. “I disobeyed you and was trying to figure out a way to hide it. But I finally knew I had to tell you the truth. You are my grandma.”

Johnny finally looked Grandma in the eye. He saw tears.

"I’m very, very sorry! Please forgive me,” he said.  

Grandma said, "Come here, Johnny. Sit in my lap."

He did as he was told.

"I saw what happened,” she said. “I was standing by the door and knew you couldn’t see me. I saw you were handling my statue very carefully so I didn’t say anything. I also saw how Mary startled you, which caused you to drop it. I know it was an accident. I was just wondering what you were going to do about the whole situation. And I can truly say you have made the right choice.

"And because you made the right choice and told me the truth of what happened, I certainly forgive you. You have learned a very valuable lesson and have done the right thing. I love you, Johnny."

Remember 1 John 1:8-9: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

There is freedom for your soul — and your conscience — when wrongdoings are confessed.

Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Free yourself, confess your sins

A tale passed down the generations offers an enlightening lesson. It goes like this:

Once upon a time, a white knight seeking adventure found a village where legend told of an ogre in a pit. Several courageous men had climbed into the pit, but none returned.

The white knight declared he would battle the terrible ogre.

He noticed the pit’s narrow opening and stripped himself of armor and unnecessary clothing. He took only a long dagger, which he tied around his neck with a leather strap, and lowered himself into the hole.

Soon he felt the chamber’s cool, smooth floor. It took several minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but he focused on a large mound. He noticed his predecessors’ bones, along with their assorted weapons.

Suddenly, the pit’s inhabitant surprised him. He didn’t anticipate that the ogre would be as tall as a rabbit. The ogre waved his arms and screeched with its squeaky voice, trying to appear as fierce as possible.

The white knight picked up a sword from the floor and prepared for battle, but quick as a rat, the ogre scurried into a hole.

The white knight followed, and soon happened upon a mound of grapefruit-sized balls of gold and plum-sized diamonds.

The little ogre lost its importance in view of this great treasure.

However, the white knight had a problem. How would he carry it out of the hole? He had no pockets. Who would believe him if he didn’t bring back at least one piece?

Hurriedly, he chose a large diamond that fit comfortably in his mouth, and he began the strenuous climb out of the pit.

His tongue held the diamond tightly against the roof of his mouth. He climbed higher and higher until the heavy exertion rendered him breathless. He would have to breathe through his mouth to get enough air. As he took in a large gulp of air the diamond slipped and stuck in his throat.

The white knight choked on his treasure, lost consciousness and fell to his death on the mound of bones below.

You see, the terrible ogre in the pit was no troll — it was greed.

1 Timothy 6:9 says, “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” 

Consider what drives you. If you find the glitter of this world is more attractive to you than Jesus Christ’s love and grace, you may be heading for a terrible fall.

That would be tragic.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Don’t let greed choke you to death

"Pentecost,” of Greek origin, simply means "fiftieth." Pentecost Sunday, the Sabbath day after a week's worth of weeks — 7 days times 7 weeks equals 49 — ended the Easter season.

Pentecost grew from a festival marking the Middle Eastern year’s first grain harvest and a sacrifice to the gods.

In ancient Palestine, once called Canaan, this first-fruit sacrifice linked to religions of the gods of power in farming and fertility. As Jews decided to follow the one true God, they were instructed to bring the wheat harvest’s “first fruits” in thanksgiving to God.

As Jewish kings started the centuries-long process of centralizing religious activity in Jerusalem, they brought this pilgrimage and sacrifice there. To them, the 50-day period was the week's worth of weeks after Passover.

Passover, using unleavened bread, recalled God’s rescue from hard times. Pentecost, which celebrated a blessing of harvest, was symbolized by leavening the bread.

The festival began to take on another religious role around the time of the exile. Because Exodus 19:1 describes the Jewish people’s arrival at Sinai as being about that time of year, Pentecost marked the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Over time, the Torah became more prominent in Feast of Weeks celebrations.

Fast-forward to Jesus' time.

As Luke states in Acts 1 and 2, more than 100 believers gathered after Jesus returned to the Father.

They talked, remembered, prayed and wondered what was next. On the morning of Pentecost, they told the people they met about Jesus.

Each person heard the witnesses speak in their own language — if they carefully listened; otherwise, they heard babbling. They spread, for the first time in full form, the good news of Jesus.

However, it was more than words. The Holy Spirit, in the ears and the hearts of those who listened, carried the words with power and authority. About 3,000 new people joined believers' ranks.

Pentecost wasn’t the first time the Spirit was active. The Spirit had been working all along in humans who listened.

However, Pentecost was the first day that the Spirit took hold of Christ’s followers as a group or "body," and came to stay.

For the first time, the Spirit's raw power was there in anyone who followed Christ.

The Rev. Albert Corey is Oak Ridge Assembly of God's pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Pentecost and its beginnings

The other evening while at a dinner with friends, our hosts told us how they acquired their friendly golden lab, Bud.

Bud showed up at their house one day, carrying a bone in his mouth and about 20 ticks on his body. The family felt sorry for this poor dog.

After several days, they realized the dog wasn’t leaving, so they took him to a vet to learn about his health and get him cleaned up.

Bud behaved well, but it was obvious he had not been treated well in the past.

He seemed shy about sleeping in the garage. When his family said goodnight, he looked at them as if to say, "Are you sure? You don’t want me outside, rather than warm and dry in here?"

When Bud received a pillow on which to sleep, he looked at his family as if to say, "Are you sure? This is for me?” The family said, "It’s for you! It’s okay! Go ahead and sleep on it."

They placed a stuffed toy before him and Bud just looked at it. He seemed to not know what to do with it. Once again, he looked at his family as if to say, "Are you sure? This is for me? To keep? To play with?" The family said, "It’s for you! It’s okay! Go ahead and play with it. It’s all yours!"

Now, he carries that toy everywhere.

Bud transformed. He received new life. Before he met this family, he had very little to call his own. He received a warm place to sleep, a bed, a toy, food and water.

More importantly, he received the love and care of those who welcomed him into their home. He did nothing to earn it.

We have been given the same kind of opportunity as Bud.

We have received the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. We might think we don’t deserve it because of the way we have been treated in life.

But Jesus continuously reiterates we are worthy of his love.

We are worthy of new life.

We are worthy of the kindness and generosity that come only from him.

Jesus says, "It’s for you."

And indeed it is.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: We have received new life in Christ

Someone once said, “The people who do things that count don’t usually stop to count them.”

I have heard service members decorated with medals repeatedly say they were just doing their job, that those who gave their lives are the real heroes.

Contrast this with many athletes who draw attention to themselves, demanding they receive accolades, big salary packages and product endorsements.

And whom do most people feel drawn toward? 

Even in “regular” people’s lives, we hear, “Look at me!  Look at how much I am doing!”

Some people draw attention to themselves by pointing out their busy schedules or accomplishments. They boast to seek praise from others or to boost their self-esteem.

However, we should be drawing attention to God, who has called us to serve others.

In Matthew 6:2-4, Jesus says, “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”  

If you are doing something for another person, question your motivation. Are you doing it to help that person? On some conscious or unconscious level, are you doing it to bolster yourself in others’ eyes?

Finally, please pray for Bostonians who died or were injured Monday during the Boston Marathon bomb blasts.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Question your motives before acting