This past weekend we celebrated in the United States our national holiday the 4th of July, our Independence Day!   It is a day where families get together, with hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie and of course the fun of the fireworks at night!  We are reminded of the brave men and women who have fought to keep our freedom over the more than 220 years that we have been a free nation.  I love and am thankful for our great country!

As I reflected on the joy of the freedom we share, my heart also went to the many people who live in this free country but are trapped in the world of addiction.  They might live in a free country but in talking to our men and women who are or have been in our programs there is no freedom when you are in the world of addiction.  You will do many things you would never think you would to get that desired drugs or alcohol.  Your decisions and addiction,  might have lost you your family, you might be living on the street, you might have lost your children or your husband or wife.  You are captured by the enemy even though you are in a free country.

But we have many who are fighting this battle to help set people free.  I want to thank and encourage all the people who work, volunteer and donate to the Atlanta Union Mission who are willing to fight the battle with those who are held hostage to the world of addiction.  We see Christ working in people every day as the true chains of addiction are broken and people are once again set free.  As you visit our centers you hear the testimonies and the stories of our people of the terrible pain and loss of freedom that comes from addiction, but you also hear from those in our Christ centered recovery programs of the miracle of Christ's healing power that is truly setting them free!  We see husbands and wives reunited, we see children back with families, we see broken relationships restored and made whole again, all by the saving power of Christ. 

So as I celebrated this weekend and saw all the fireworks in the beautiful clear sky, I thought of God in heaven who loves us all so much that He would send His Son so that we could all experience eternal freedom!  

I want to close by asking us all to remember the powerful weapon against the war of this world, Prayer!  I would ask that you would please be in constant prayer for all the staff and the people we serve at the Atlanta Union Mission, that God would be honored by all that we do, that we would get the resources we need to do the work He has called us to do and that His healing power would pour in the people we serve and those we touch each and every day.  

I also ask on a personal note that you would be in prayer for our troops around the world who are fighting for freedom and would ask that you pray specifically for our troops in Afghanistan as a dear friend's,  son, a marine is fighting on the front line over there now.

Thanks for caring so much to take time to pray!

Humbled to serve with you,

Jim