Valor

It is Memorial Day; it is Decoration Day, it is a day of remembering those who have fallen in the service of our country. There will be many more tributes, in every town, in every part of our country.
Yesterday we honored our fallen heroes in our church service, echoing services everywhere.
Last night I was watching a TV drama about the death and funeral of a soldier, and when “Taps” was played, I couldn’t help but stand at attention, moved by the ceremony, even in a fictional show. The honor was real, the emotion true.
May God Bless each and every one of our military, and bless those who have to hear “Taps” played over a loved one.
Valor, from the French valour, has the same meaning of our word value. Men of valor are valuable men, worthy men, and worthy women. We honor those we esteem as worthy. May God Bless you today.

Epic Fail!

Have you wondered at all the unrest in the world? Why things seem to blow up and scatter hell every once in a while?
From the beginning of time for us, in the Garden of Eden, when Satan tricked Eve and Adam into sinning…
God declared that Satan would get his comeuppance, would ultimately be defeated.
Think about this. Satan knew that God had never been frustrated for a single moment of eternity. Though he had aspirations, he knew from that day forward that God was going to destroy him, that the fires of Hell were being created for the singular purpose of being his torture.
Imagine knowing your fate, and being incapable of changing it. Imagine knowing that it is only a matter of time until you are thrown into that fire. No pleading, no begging for mercy will work-you have a death sentence, and it will be executed.
The rage that the ‘king of this world’ feels towards God and His Just judgment is expressed through the unrest we witness every day. If Satan cannot touch God, he can at least wreak hell on God’s creation, trying to hurt God by attacking those whom He loves.
Satan cannot separate God’s people from God. Not a one will be lost. Rage as he might, he is a loser, and a contemptible fool.

“3And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how fury has ceased!
5 “The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
6 Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 “The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
8 “Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9 “Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;
It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 “They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 ‘Your pomp and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will ponder over you, saying,’
Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’”
Isaiah 14:3-17

Give Me Unity, Or...

“25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Matthew 12:25

Yeah, I’m talking to YOU, Democrats!
Abraham Lincoln used this verse as an analogy of why the country must not divide over the issues which were tearing it apart. What’s good enough for Abe is good enough for us. I hope that it’s not too late.
We should be proud of our country; I think we have done much good, both within our borders, and in the rest of the world…while Dems declare our last eight years a disaster.
Obviously we Optimists see the glass as half full, while Pessimists see it as full of poison.
How is it with you? Is our Country to be defined by imagined faults, or our actual strengths?
Rather than spending the next four years yammering about the ‘stolen election of 2008’, I hope that the Democrats can be convinced to put the country above their political ambitions. There is much work to be done, and their continued foot dragging, complaining and working against our Nation’s efforts will tear us apart, just as they have done for 8 years. We are a great Republic, but we cannot stand divided.
For the record, I consider John McCain one of the Democrats who are tearing us apart. Having an “R” after his name doesn’t impress me one bit. By their fruits you shall know them. God Help The United States of America.

Parity! Pairty! Paradi!

Fair is fair. With the Republican Chick Little McCain singing out about the “Global Warming sky falling” we need to bring some balance to the forced. Meaning that Obama isn’t foolish enough. He has the Liberal Litany down, can be somber or funny, is a better speaker than bowler…but he’s a dud. Supposedly he’s all flash and no substance, but if you really look at his career with a critical eye, there’s no flash, either.
A dud, not a dude ready to take on the most important job in the world.
Enter, stage left, Al Franken. Al has the flash, and would make a great Costello to Barack’s Abbott.
Think about it: Al is nationally known, is so far to the left that he makes Obama look Moderate, yet so inexperienced in government that Barry O is an elder Statesman by comparison.
Al also is not tainted by being a “Washington Insider” at a time when Obama is threatening to re-create Washington in “Our Own Image”-casting the ‘inside the beltway’ lifers and lobbyists into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and gnashing of special interests.
I think Obama had better snatch up Franken for Veep…before McCain does.

Pray

Right at this moment, in Myanmar, the military leadership is still keeping the desperately needed aid from reaching their devastated populace. The world wants to help; humanitarian relief which has been provided to many needful nations over the years is being thwarted by the junta in control of Myanmar. Appeal to the United Nations has so far been ineffective. Shock.
God is in charge, but He allows circumstance such as this to happen for His own good purposes. I recognize that God cannot do evil, any more than He could sin. What good can come from a tragedy such as Myanmar?
The typhoon which blew into the country may carry that junta out of power. People may be freed from tyranny, may actually someday have the right of civil freedoms such as we enjoy in our country.
People in Myanmar, bereft of any other help due to their government, may turn to God. That alone is a powerful good which can come from circumstance such as we all have to endure. God so designed my life that I quickly made a shipwreck of it, crying out to Him.
Forget the Untied Nations; I’d liken the UN to Deputy Barney Fife, except he was more likable.
Pray for those in dire need, that they will reach out to God and thus be saved. Pray that God will have mercy on the people of Myanmar, freeing them from the despots who rule their beautiful country. Pray.

True Unity

“Suddenly, North Carolina Is Facing Tighter Race”
By Jeff Zeleny and Jodi Kantor, NY Times

“Advisers to Mr. Obama concede he lost support among some white voters in the wake of the storm surrounding Mr. Wright. Since then, the campaign has sought to increase its appeal to white voters. At Mr. Obama’s first stop in the state on Friday, a rally in Charlotte, most seats in the Cricket Arena were filled with black supporters. Yet many of the seats directly behind Mr. Obama — in the view of news cameras — were filled by white supporters.”

Oh my. “Back of the bus, gentleman-ladies, please. Move to the back of the bus.”
This is right in line with my last post about Hillary Clinton, where I placed the iconic rifle in the background to show how she is tough. When she won her most recent Primary, during her rah rah speech a young man was in camera view behind her wearing boxing gloves.
Obama’s message seems to be: “I know I have the Black vote, but I need to show that white people support me, too.”
Image is everything when you’re running for election. That’s why you see the meet and greets at small town diners, babies held and kissed, bourbon shots with beer chasers (Hil Clinton only).
A candidate has to be so careful-Dukakis in the tank, Kerry in the bunny suit; one wrong image can tilt a populace away from you, send them right into the arms of a competitor who hadn’t messed up. Yet.
The image scientists peer down their microscopes at every detail, push poll every tie tac and haircut…and still misfire.
In 2004 the Democratic Convention was ‘in Kerry’s hands’. As if he was calling the shots, making the decisions, showing leadership skills. All smoke and no mirror, as his running mate was hogging all of the mirrors. Remember John Edwards? As Hillary said in Texas about Obama: “All hat, no cattle.”
(I was going to reference Obama and Edwards as “All The Young Dudes”, but I figure that no remembers “Mott The Hoople”. Watch out, Dennis Miller!)
Getting back to the front of the bus, I’m sure that Obama has plenty of support among all races-but filling the seats in view of the news cameras with white people seems…racist. Seems to support the idea that our skin matters more than our personal character. That those white Obamacrats were valued for their flesh tones. I can’t imagine that that was well received by the more numerous black supporters in the audience.
Obama will win the nomination soon-I’m just guessing, but I think Clinton is planning on making such a fuss in Denver, demanding this and screaming about that…that the DNC will placate her by giving her the Vice Presidency. First Lady to VP may not be as Big a splash, but it would still be a historic first. If they were to win as a team, I think it would be wise of Obama to hire a food taster.
Rest assured that I rest, assured that whoever rules in Washington, we know Who rules from Heaven. Have a great day, all.