March to Memorial Day May 25, 2015

Memorial Day is here!!

Memorial Day, like all military holidays, is special to me.  As a former draft dodger and war protester in the Vietnam days, I have come to my senses long ago.  Deep inside, I knew the valor of those who enlisted, or were drafted and put into combat situations.  I guess you could say I have been trying to make up for it ever since by raising my seven children with a love for the military and American forces in general.

In From Woodstock To Eternity, Dustin Morgan reflects on his foolish dallying with the anti war movement.

When the anti-war fervor subsided, and people started respecting the troops again, all these deferments didn’t seem so “honorable” anymore.  From that time on, Morgan carried the reminder of his foolish ideas with him.  He regretted not going into the service when so many of his friends paid the ultimate price.  It made him angry when he saw the news clips of demonstrators spitting on returning troops.  He even felt guilty for getting a high lottery vets standingnumber. 

He can’t fix the past, but he tries to pay some of it back by supporting the troops and raising his kids to love the military and the victories they have won to keep us free.  He knows that whenever the veterans are asked to stand at a public event, he cannot stand up with them.  All he can do is look at them with admiration and clap.

I came to realize long ago that insisting on peace at all times, for every circumstance, andHiroshima Bomb at all cost would only result in suffering a huge loss.  You cannot stop bullies and aggressors with a doctrine of peace.  You will only end up being conquered by them.  Peace is the opposite of aggression, and the only way to avoid being conquered is to conquer.

This became so evident in the victories of World War II.  There is no question that the peace America won, with the Allies, was better than German occupation and death camps.  The atomic bomb not only save millions of Japanese and American lives (from an invasion of Japan), but it brought about peace in a region that suffered under Japanese atrocities.

Almost all veterans who had suffered through years of battle against the Japanese were extremely relieved when the atomic bomb ended the war.  As usual, it is only people far VJ newspaperremoved by distance or time who pass judgment and wag their fingers at the morality of using it on a city.  They refuse to acknowledge the facts and the consequences, because they don’t fit in with their view of the world.  What everybody wanted most was the headline on August 14, 1945.

All praise and honor to our veterans, and especially to those who died for our country.  We owe you our deepest gratitude!!

March to Memorial Day May 22, 2015

Victory at Midway

The victory in the Battle of Midway destroyed most of the Japanese fleet, giving them a defeat they never expected.  This changed the balance of sea power in the Pacific, which also changed the direction of the war with Japan.  Just a few months after the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, the United States had reversed the course of the war and became the aggressor against the aggressor.Battle of Midway

It has always fascinated me how a small island nation like Japan could even imagine that it could defeat the United States.  Indeed, after Pearl Harbor, on of their senior officers said, “I am afraid we have just awakened a sleeping giant.”  That turned out to be very prophetic.

In this day, many wonder how a small, fanatic bunch of radical muslims could imagine attacking the United States with the goal of taking us over altogether.  And yet, that is precisely what they wish to do.  If Japan had conquered us, we would all be speaking Japanese now.  If the Islamists conquer us, we will all be under Sharia Law.

Beware!!!

March to Memorial Day

In honor of our veterans, I am going to post links to a different site each day that reflects America’s need for a strong military, and the courage and sacrifice of those who have defended this country.

USS Shaw at Pearl Harbor

USS Shaw at Pearl Harbor

America entered World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The following image is a link to eye witness accounts of history, specifically the attack on

the USS Arizona.

 

God of the 5th Chance

Are you too late for transformation, too far gone for deliverance, too bad for forgiveness?

Do you think you’ve blown it too many times?  Preachers tell us all the time that God is the God of the second chance.  But what if you got the second chance, and you blew it all over again?  Many times, when people deliberately turn their backs on Jesus and return to their sin, they go back into a deeper state of depravity than they were in to begin with. Sometimes they try to be badder, meaner, do more drugs, drink more booze just to show that they never knew this Jesus in the first place.  Like they’re trying to prove something to somebody, or maybe themselves.  But if you are truly saved, the Holy Spirit will still be there, in the background, and He won’t let you go.  In the book, From Woodstock To Eternity, Dustin Morgan experiences this phenomenon as he tries to shake off his run-in with the Spirit.

He wanted so badly to have things like they used to be that he thought he could bludgeon this resistance into submission by continuing to cram beer and pot into his system.  HeFront Cover

was bound to desensitize himself against the checks and balances the Holy Spirit was putting up. 

Before he got saved, he didn’t really believe that God could get inside of his brain and start working on him, but he was skeptical enough that he didn’t want to risk it.  That’s why he didn’t want to get saved in the first place.  And now, here it comes.  It’s tough when God talks to you every time you get stoned.

So, let’s say after a fall like this, you try to pull yourself back up and make another commitment to follow the Lord.  That would be chance number three, right?  Then you fall again and get drunk, or get high, or do something stupid.  How many times is God going toProdigal Son take you back?  Matthew 18:22 says,

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

In other words, as many times as it takes to bring you to total repentance and deliverance.

The definition of Mercy is:  God punishing us less than we deserve.  We may not deserve forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.

The definition of Grace is:  God’s power to do what He tells us to do.  With His grace, we can ultimately and completely quit our old ways and follow His ways.

Beans and Rice Syndrome

Otherwise known as Dependency Syndrome, I Have Rights Syndrome, They Owe Me Syndrome, and Victim Syndrome

Definition of a Syndrome:

  • a group of signs and/ or symptoms that consistently occur together or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.  Eg.  Down’s Syndrome,  Attention
    Don't Mess With Texas Syndrome

    Don’t Mess With Texas
    Syndrome

    Deficit Syndrome

  • a characteristic combination of attitudes, opinions, emotions, or behavior that constitute a set values, character qualities, and perspectives on life  Eg.  Don’t Mess With Texas Syndrome, I’m Number One Syndrome,  The Heart of a Pioneer Syndrome.

In this excerpt in From Woodstock To Eternity, Dustin Morgan finds himself at the food kitchen of the hog farm at the Woodstock festival, contemplating his free food.  He is glad to get it, but it brings up a boat load of questions about the virtues and non-virtues of getting a free lunch.

“Yeh, man, peace and love, ya know.  We all gotta take care of each other or we’re doomed.”

“You got that right.  Y’know, this food is a life saver, but I almost feel a little guilty, like I shouldn’t be taking a free handout.”

“Ah, no, man.  Don’t feel guilty about it.  This is what it’s all about.” 

“Yeh, a lot of us got caught off guard.  But up to now, I always took care of myself.  I was just thinkin’; if I left home and went out on my own, then I should have to accept the fact that I’ve got to provide for myself.  After all, if I want to leave my parent’s authority, then I’m also gonna have to make do without their care and responsibility.”   

“Huh?”

“Look at it from the other side.  If I provide for myself, I earn the right to be my own boss, right?  That means I don’t depend on them to provide for me or protect me anymore.  But if I goof up when I’m out on my own, I got nobody to blame but myself; my parents are no longer responsible for my mistakes.  Does that make any sense?”

“Yeh, I guess so, man.  You are getting’ way out there, though.  What’s all this got to do

Beans and Rice Syndrome

Beans and Rice
Syndrome

with a plate full of rice?”

“I’m getting to that.  OK, here I am, out on my own.  I left straight society behind, and I am sitting in the middle of Woodstock.  Now, today, I suddenly discover that I am unable to take care of myself, and that dilemma rattles up a nerve somewhere inside me that I failed.  I failed to see far enough ahead, or whatever.  So, do I expect the Establishment to air drop supplies down to me because I didn’t plan ahead?  No!  That would mean I am still obligated to them, because I need them.  Can you see that?”

“I don’t know, man.  I just live on the commune and they feed me.”

“What if you left the commune?  Would you still expect them to feed you?”

“I guess not.  I never really thought about it.”

Cosmo is living on handouts and he never thought about it.  That also means he never thought about breaking out and living on his own.  His initiative and creativity had already been snuffed out by the “Beans and Rice Syndrome”.

This Syndrome now affects complete segments of our society as they get more and more used to living off of government handouts.  Like I said in the post, You Get Tired of Steakmost people start getting bored of their existence, no matter how  good it is, once it becomes routine.  People who don’t have to work, who are living on handouts, also get stuck in a routine.  They never seem to get tired of their existence.  In fact, it goes the other way, they get used to living in their government sponsored poverty, and they lose all diligence and effort it takes to break out into prosperity.

Like Dustin said, helping each other out temporarily until they can get back on their feet is a good thing, But don’t let yourself get caught up in the freebies.  Flee from it like the plague, or you will end up with the dreaded societal disease called Beans and Rice Syndrome.