Did you know that only 28% of Americans know the meaning of this noble holiday? According to a Gallup Poll, it's true. Congress has established a National Moment of Remembrance and is asking that all Americans take time today to remember the men and women who have died in the service of our country. At 3:00 p.m. today, take a moment to stop and remember those who died. And remember that their sacrifice means we get to enjoy freedom and liberty in the United States of America. This is also a perfect opportunity to remember and pray for those who are serving in our Military forces today.

Today I take time to remember and give thanks to ...

Sgt. Clyde V. Moore - Army
Winford Riddle - Army
Emery Collins - Army
Francis Elliott, Jr. - Army
John L. Collins - Army
Basil Elliott - Marines
Rodney Mitchell - Navy
James Kirklin -- Air Force - Leaves July 1 for Iraq
Bill Elliott - Air Force
John Wm. Mitchell - Army

Michael Batwinas - Navy

Ballard Mosley - Army
Lee Holloway - Marines
Emmit Colon Adams - Died in Vietnam, 1966
Larry Maggard - Died in Vietnam, 1968
Capt. Rick Hauck - Army
Tom Gabbert - Army
Huston James - Army
Tom Royal - Army
Jerry Golden - Army

I have a friend. He is a thoughtful man who has considered spiritual things. His background is with a church that teaches salvation comes from faith and works together. He says he can't imagine that salvation is free, that there is not something that we have to do to earn it. The Bible, specifically in the Book of Romans, clearly says otherwise. His church does not consider the Bible the final authority.

I told him, "Here is one way to look at it. What if your only son gave his heart to save my life? Would you bill me for his heart? Would you expect me to make payments for it? No. I think you would agree that your son's life is a thing of such value that nothing I could ever do could ever compensate you for it.

Or what if you invited me and my whole family over for dinner with linen, candles, silver and all your family favorites. What would you think if at the end of the meal I stood up and got out my wallet and said, "How much do I owe you?" You would be justifiably hurt, confused, and offended. To think that you can pay for your salvation or repay God for what he freely provided through His sons death tells me two things about you. First, it tells me you don't realize how sinful you are. Second, it tells me you don't realize how righteous God is.

Churches themselves are full of people who do not yet realize what a gift salvation is. Because they have never realized the depth of their guilt, they do not appreciate the miracle of God's grace. P.T. Forsyth said it this way, "Our Churches are full of the nicest, kindest people who have never known the despair of guilt or the breathless wonder of forgiveness."

Have you known the despair of guilt and the breathless wonder of forgiveness? I wonder if all who claim to be saved have really been delivered from their sin and the horrific penalty of it.

Shark Attack! Imagine you are swimming in the ocean and you are suddenly and savagely attacked by a shark. One moment you are enjoying the sun and water, the next you are struggling for life, gasping for air. Panic seizes your heart. You are in a desperate struggle for life. Just when you are going down for the last time a strong unseen hand grasps you and pulls you from danger into the safety of a boat. They deposit you on the warm sand. You are shaken but safe.

You have been saved, delivered. You have been rescued from death. You have survived a shark attack and drowning. It takes you a half hour for your heart rate to settle down again. When it does the sun is brighter, the sea is bluer, the world is full of life.

If you have been saved from eternal torment and separation from God in hell you should be overcome with gratitude. You should know the breathless wonder of God's grace. If you have been delivered from the violence and finality of death and eternal suffering you ought to glory in it every day. You ought to sing with hands uplifted and a tear-streaked face. You ought to shout. You ought to tell everyone you know.

When you understand that you have been saved from the horror of sin, judgment and death, the sun is brighter, the sea is bluer, and your whole world is full of life. Has that happened to you?

Ken Pierpont

I have a question for you ...

If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?

We all have an eternal destination and this very minute, we're all headed to one place or the other. Once we take our last breath here, we will immediately either be in the presence of the Lord Jesus, or we'll be in outer darkness, awaiting God's judgement.

The decision is yours to make and now is the time to make it. Don't wait for tomorrow, or later on ... we may not have the next hour, let alone tomorrow.

In order to be delivered from the wrath of God, you must repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ, and you must do so now. "Today is the day of salvation," the Bible says. It's not something to put off 'til a more convenient time. You repent as much as you know how to repent, and you trust as much as you know how to trust.

If you haven't come to faith in Christ, I beg you to give thought to what that means. It means we 'believe' and believing means we come to God as sinners, recognizing that Christ died for us; He took our sin upon Himself and died in our place, and on the third day, He arose. Then we trust in Christ alone to save us. The best word to convey what the Bible means by 'believe' is the word trust. Trusting Christ is not merely accepting intellectually that a person named Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose again. It is acknowledging that He alone is my only way to heaven. Trusting Christ is the means through which we appropriate His gift of eternal life.


All of us are sinners. The punishment for that sin is death and eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ satisfied the anger of God against our sin by taking the punishment we deserve and rising from the grave the third day.


I invite you now to trust in Christ alone to save you. And once you've done that, will you let someone know? You can leave a comment on this blog, or send me an email ... cmoore2659@wowway.com; or call me. I'd be thrilled to talk with you about the most important decision you will ever make.

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born

A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly....

I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, It doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing, and have a great time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life.

Karen Elliott & Aunt Lona Martin

Uncle Jr., Aunt Shirleen, Uncle Hurshel & Aunt Del; Aunt Sue & Uncle Roy; Kenny & Homer Randall

Renea & John; Clovis & Glenda; Aunt Lona sitting

Aunt Lona, Karen & Kenny; Brent & Chad

Roy, Jr., Lona & Hurshel

Photos taken in Uncle Jr & Aunt Shirleen's yard in McDowell

Roy Elliott

Roy Elliott was the youngest child of Francis "Bud" Elliott and Darkie Alley Elliott. He was born in McDowell, Kentucky and went to live with his sister Oma and her family in Ashtabula, Ohio when was he was 13 years old. My husband Clyde has often said Roy was more like a big brother to him than an Uncle.

I don't know the date of this picture, but from left to right Roy's siblings are:

Curt, Francis, Jr., Lona, Lucy, Bill, Hazel, Hurshel, Leona, Oma & Andy

Roy is sitting in the front

Clyde, Roy, Onus & JR, Ronny Wakefield

Roy & his car "Lonely Blue Boy"

Roy loved cars & racing

Roy & Lee Blair

Roy & Oma in Ashtabula, Ohio

Roy & Vernis Moore

Vernis Moore, Harmon Mitchell & Roy

Oma, Sue & Mary, Hazel & Roy

Sitting: Lucy, Hurshel, Hazel & Leona

Standing: Roy & Francis, Jr.

Sitting: Andy, Hurshel, Leona & Oma

Standing: Francis, Jr., Hazel, Roy & Lucy - 1998

Sitting: John, Lucy, Hurshel & Lona

Standing: Leona, Francis, Jr., Hazel, Roy, Andy & Oma - 1993

Roy with Samantha Moore & Cindy VanAllen

Roy, Francis, Jr., Lona & Hurshel

Mary Elliott Jewel and husband Randy; children Kyle & Ally

How Roy would have loved his granddaughter Ally!

Roy's wife Sue ... Aunt Susie

Roy met Sue in Ashtabula

Roy, Sue & Mary Elliott

At Mary's wedding ... Roy, Mary & Sue

At Mary's wedding ... Oma, Roy & Clyde

At Mary's wedding ... Cindy, Vern, Oma & Roy

Clyde & Roy - photo taken at Oma's apartment in MI

Clyde has often talked of how Roy looked out for him & JR when they were growing up and Roy's love of cars was a major influence on Clyde. After Clyde got out of the Army, we moved to Michigan and my Dad was able to get him a job at Ford Motor Co., a fitting place for a man whose greatest hobby was cars ... working on them at home and driving them to see what would make them break as a test driver at work. Clyde was the afternoon Superintendent at Ford's when he retired in 2005. We wish Roy could have lived long enough to see what his influence on this one nephew lead to.

Roy worked at what he loved ... driving and fixing cars. The business he & his friend Ray Caudill started all those years ago is still operating and still carries the name Roy & Ray's Auto Service. Roy died very unexpectantly of a heart attack on June 5, 2001. His death was so sudden and such a shock that at times it's difficult to realize he's gone. Getting the phone call from Aunt Sue that morning was one of the hardest we've ever received.

Knowing Roy was an adventure and a blessing. He could be brutally honest and he could be difficult at times; but underneath all that toughness there lived a man who loved his wife and daughter. He was a man who would do most anything for a friend and a good, cold beer tasted pretty good after a hard day's work. He enjoyed Nascar, drag racing and horse shows. He was proud of Mary and her ability to ride as she did and he and Sue were avid supporters of Mary and her riding in horse shows. We often wonder what things would be like if Roy were still here; Clyde misses him and still stops at 'Roy & Ray's' whenever he's in Ashtabula. Roy Elliott was a man you'll not soon forget ... you wouldn't want to if you knew him ... and in a very real sense, he lives on in every person who cared for him.