Giving Praise to Whom Praise Belongs

I am thankful to live in a Nation that is free. It is free for one reason, and that is because the Lord of Creation has ordained it to be, and has protected and kept us free.

We are free from Communism, free from tyranny, and we are – at least for the time being – free to worship God. There may come a time when that will end.

I do not mean to take away the remembrance of our country’s men and women who have given their lives for our Nations call to arms, in fighting the many battles which have been fought and are now being fought. Much blood of U.S. citizens has been shed in the past 231 or so years of our nations history. We should applaud them, recognize them, and thank them; but let’s not forget where the real praise belongs.

If we have come this far solely by the blood of our soldiers spilled on the battlefields of the world, then we have much to boast of, and do it loudly; but that is not the case. We are a God-Blessed Nation. We have been a God protected Nation. May that continue to be.

The writer of the Twentieth Psalm wrote,

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Any Nation that has ever began with God, and then, turned its back on God has fallen. Let’s pray that the blood of our soldiers, spilled on the battlefields, will not have been wasted by neglecting the Word of the Lord.

Have a good and safe Memorial Day.

From Memorial Day May 25, 2007

May 14, 2007 Fort Dix Six

Last week there was quite a bit of talk about “The Fort Dix Six”. They were, of course, speaking of a group of six terrorist who had been in the planning stages of attacking Fort Dix.

It seems that there is a young heroic patriot in this story. A teenage young man working in Circuit City was asked by a man to make a DVD of a video taken, I suppose by the man bringing it in. As the young clerk is making the DVD he is also viewing it, and sees that it is a terrorist video and phrases being spoken which are antiAmerican. After the terrorist leaves with the DVD this young clerk, evidently is greatly bothered by what he has seen, and goes to his boss asking what he should do. His boss tells him to report it. That is what he does.

Now we know that these six have been captured, and a plot to destroy a fort has been abated.

Thank the Lord for this young man. His life could very well be in danger, because of his courage and patriotism, and care for his fellow citizens of the USA.

I know our Nation is not perfect. It has a long way to go before it gets to perfection, and it will not reach it, because it is gradually perishing. I certainly do not want it to go down by the hand of terrorism.

We all must take courage, and realize that the care of this Nation is in the hand of the great Creator of all things, our Savior Jesus Christ. Unless we return to God the United States of America will fall. And great will be that fall.

This young man needs our prayers for God’s protection, and for courage to continue on with his life. Young man, whoever you are; God bless you and keep you. May His light shine upon you and give you peace.

Remembering a Patriot and a Man of God

This is from May 16, 2007

A Patriot Has Died

The man was not involved in the political process until he heard of the legalization of abortion. He thought of the millions of unborn children who would be slaughtered by those whose main objective was not women’s rights, but profits.

Dr. Jerry Falwell was a man who first of all loved the LORD God, loved his family, and loved his Country. He was motivated to help point this nation back to its Judeo/Christian roots.

I had grown not to agree with all that the “Religious Right” was doing. It just seems that many there believed that the answer for all our moral ills was in the political process. My belief is that the answer for the Country’s moral ills is a change of heart in people through the cross of Jesus Christ. I know and believe that Dr. Falwell believed that too, but he wanted people to be motivated to get out and vote their Christian conscience. And, I have, as well as many others.

Those who know Dr. Falwell would be able to say that he was a genuine Christian man. He sincerely believed and with conviction that what he has done was for God, Country, and his fellow American.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jerry Falwell loved God, His Word, His people, His Church and people in general. It seems that all that he did he believed he was right in doing so, until he found it to be wrong.

Keep his family, Thomas Road Baptist Church, and Liberty University in your prayers.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

I love my Country of the USA, and it saddens me greatly when I see the gross immorality within it, and that immorality that is not so gross grieves my heart as well. The below article shows the level to which the “Mighty” have fallen.

“Pennsylvania Court Orders Sperm Donor to Lesbian Couple to Pay Child Support
Wednesday, May 09, 2007

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — A sperm donor who helped a lesbian couple conceive two children is liable for child support under a state appellate court ruling that a legal expert believes might be the first of its kind in the U.S.
A Superior Court panel last week ordered a Dauphin County judge to establish how much Carl L. Frampton Jr. would have to pay to the birth mother of the 8-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl.
“I’m unaware of any other state appellate court that has found that a child has, simultaneously, three adults who are financially obligated to the child’s support and are also entitled to visitation,” said New York Law School professor Arthur S. Leonard, an expert on sexuality and the law.
But Frampton, 60, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, died suddenly of a stroke in March, leaving lawyers involved in the case with different theories about how his death may affect the precedent-setting case.
Jodilynn Jacob, 33, and Jennifer Lee Shultz-Jacob, 48, moved in together as a couple in 1996, and were granted a civil-union license in Vermont in 2002. In addition to conceiving the two children with the help of Frampton — a longtime friend of Shultz-Jacob’s — Jacob also adopted her brother’s two older children, now 12 and 13″
The above was taken from the Fox News website, and Kairos Journal provided the link to it. How much longer can this Nation endure, and continue with such blatant immorality and injustice. I am afraid that it will not be long unless we turn our hearts back to God.

From May 10, 2007

Armed and Protected

Not to long ago a 101 year old woman was robbed, and mugged by a 44 year old man. That is a disgrace to the male gender, as well as to the man’s race. It is also a disgrace to the human race itself.

A couple of weeks ago we then hear of an 84 year old woman who was a former Miss America protecting her property by shooting out the tires of thieves as they were attempting to flee from the scene. The men were caught and arrested.

Just today, I heard news of a clerk in a store who was waiting on a customer, and this supposed customer reaches into the cash register for the cash, drops some of it reaches down to pick it up, and the elderly woman clerk takes a miniature bat, and knocks the man in the head with it. She hit him twice at which time he fled the scene, and at last report had not been apprehended.

I just wanted to applaud these two ladies who had guts to stand up and take action at a time of criminal act. That is part of what this nation needs.

When the wicked are bold in their attempts at wickedness, then the rest of us need to be bold in acting against it.

The first move we need to make is to get back to God Who is are real strength and protection.

From April 28, 2007

Being A Patriot

From April 26, 2007.

Being A Patriot

Sometimes I think we misunderstand what a patriot really is. A true patriot is not someone who never finds fault with their country or their leaders, including the President. A patriot is someone who will stand with the leaders during times of turmoil, similar to those we are in now.

There is one thing for sure concerning our President, and I am not always in agreement with him. I believe him to be a strong individual who will stand his ground when he believes he is right about something. He appears to have convictions about things. He is not led by the opinion polls, and does not lend and ear to the wind, and make decisions based on which ever way it blows. I like that in President Bush.

There are many who are trying to malign him, and accuse him of playing politics. He has nowhere to go. He has reached the highest office in our country. How can he be trying to play politics. The one’s who are playing politics are the ones who accuse him of it.

Being a patriot is about loving your country, praying for its leaders; even those you disagree with, and do not like; and supporting their decisions when they do not conflict with your own person convictions of God, holiness, righteousness, and good, but you endeavor to change things through prayer, and discourse, rather than violence. Other people’s opinions, and lives are at stake.

I do not know if what I have written here makes a whole lot of sense to you, the reader, but it does to me. A patriot is also someone who will love his country enough to speak out when something is not right. We must do that. We can do it and still be a citizen. At least for the time being.

Our trust must be in the LORD God who has made all things. He has put the USA in place for a time like this. Let’s first be faithful to Him.

Freedom At Stake

From April 21, 2007

Freedom At Stake

With the tragedy of Monday April 16 lingering freshly in our minds we must remember September 11, 2001. You may wonder why, but it is necessary for maintaining our freedom as a nation.

On that eventful, catastrophic day, nearly 3000 people died (2973 with 24 still missing and unaccounted for). There is one event I think of which reminds us what is necessary at times of facing things and people which are evil.

Three commercial airliners had disastrously struck their evil designers intended targets. The North and South buildings of the World Trade Center; and the Pentagon. One other airliner; United Airlines flight 93 was over Philadelphia, and here is an except from Wikipedia concerning that mornings flight –

“On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the plane from the hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had been crashed into buildings that morning. According to the transcript of Flight 93’s recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the plane once it became evident that they would lose control of the plane to the passengers. Soon afterward, the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at 10:03:11 a.m. local time (14:03:11 UTC). Al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed mentioned in a 2002 interview with an Al Jazeera journalist that Flight 93’s target was the United States Capitol,[18] which was given the code name “the Faculty of Law.”[19]”

The reason I mention this is because of the heroism which was shown on that day. Where was that on Monday morning at Virginia Tech? Thirty two people died. There was heroism in the Professor of one class who willingly gave his life to protect his students, and allowed them to escape from the madness of Cho Sueng-Hui.

Understand, I am not blaming students at the College. They did what students are pretty much trained and taught to do in such incidents. They protected themselves. We have bullies in our world, and the students and people who are bullied by them are taught and told to go and tell an authority – a teacher, a principal, or a policeman. What if the people on United Airlines Flight 93 had done that on that disastrous day? The events would have been more catastrophic, and many more lives would have been lost.

It was people defending themselves against tyrants, and bullies which bought the freedom of our nation. We need to get back to the idea of defending ourselves, and others. It is right to do so.

I believe that if there would have been a couple of young men and women who would have determined to take Cho Sueng-Hui down there would have been less people murdered. If there is blame to be placed it should be at the feet of those who have taught us to “Protect ourselves” rather than fight the bullies, and evil.

Someone, I believe it was a man named Edmund Burke said, “All it takes for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing”, and I believe him to be correct. Our freedom is at stake, if we just continue to teach our children, students, and others to just get under your desks. That is good advice during a tornado, but not against evil men and women.

Patriotic Nation

The posts I will be sharing in the next few days are from another blog I started in 2007.  I moved it to wordpress as a blog by the same name.  I am endeavoring to downsize so I am moving this one through a copy and paste method.  From April 19, 2007.

Patriotic Nation

There are many who have called the United States of America a Patriotic Nation. I believe her to be so myself. If we mean by patriotic that we stand by our nations leaders when they send our troops to war. We are pretty much patriotic. If we mean by patriotic that we love our country, then, I again would agree.

Our nation is, however, a nation that is straying from its godly, Biblical, Christian roots. Whether we all agree or not the United States of America was started upon these principles which began with the Bible.

There are some, and that number is growing more and more to believe patriotism is greater than faith in God. Patriotism has taken the place of God. When we have gotten to that place then, we are in sure trouble. A patriotic nation without God is just a pagan nation, and its morals, ethics, and family structure fades into oblivion.

I am growing in the opinion that all nations are operated by the godless, including our own. It is powered by “Prince of the power of the air”. It is sad to say. It is sad to think, and this may be a dark, negative thought, but I would rather put patriotism aside and take on godliness. That will be our only hope.

It’s the Resurrection Hibiscus Again!

I love Wally’s Hibiscus.

Sorghum, and the Mill

As I was on my way to Shell Knob today I drove past an old decaying, falling in building that was built by my Dad and a cousin named Harold (my Dad’s nephew).  They had a dream, and desire to supply an income for their families, and grow in the process of making this dark, syrupy, fragrant, and sticky stuff called sorghum.

I have some pictures I want to share with those who will come here to read and see them. The first one is of a plaque my wife made for me of the old can label they had put together for the sale and promotion of their business.

The next two pictures are of the old mill which they built using cedar logs set in the ground.  They then built a base to set the sorghum pan upon of rock and clay or cement.  They were a couple of men who did not have much money, but they had a little bit of a dream, and desire to make a good product; and they set to it.

 

 

 

I was standing next to the road by the gate into this property which belongs to a brother of Harold’s now.I was able to figure out how to do a zoom in on the camera of my phone.

I remember this quite well as a young boy in the early 1960’s  When they were making sorghum there were trees all round the back and to the east side (right) and my cousin who was nearer my age at the time ran through those woods having a great time.

Sorghum is made through squeezing sorghum cane, which my Dad and Harold grew on the ridge somewhat nearby.  They would take a tractor and wagon, go with cane knives, and cut down a heaped up load, and bring it back to the mill to make the sweet sorghum.

Before they squeezed the cane on the press, they would light a fire under the pan, get the heat going, then they let the juice roll down the delivery chute.

We used to eat quite a bit of Sorghum cake.  Pretty good stuff  putting butter on while it was still hot is delicious.

Most sorghums you find in store nowadays is mixed with corn syrup which ruins the good flavor.

Well that is really only part of the story.  My Dad and Harold are in heaven together now.

I just thought I would share something that was part of my upbringin’ as a child.

from the banks of Flat Creek,

`tim

 

Glad for Gladiolus

Hibiscus

Mist-i-fying Mowing

I was trying to get our yard mowed before rain started falling again.  I have gotten the front yard completely done, and most of the back now.

As I was trying to keep mowing even when there were some drops falling I noticed a mist flying from the discharge of the mower.  I thought now that is mistifying [not supposed to be mystifying]. The spelling corrector tried to change my mistifying to mystifying.

At any rate, I did not get to complete the yard; but was mystified by the mistifying.  Maybe I should spell it like I did in the title “Mist-I-fying”.

from the banks of Flat Creek,

`tim