A War Hero

Thee following is from Memorial Day of 2007.

I know we have some real war heroes in our day, and as far as I am concerned all the men and women who are fighting this war against terrorism are all heroes.

Today being Memorial Day I was home, doing much of nothing, and a little past noon was watching a good old movie. It was the movie about Sgt. Alvin York. “Sergeant York” is the name of the movie. It is a wonderful story and based on the life of a real war hero. In the early part of the twentieth century our nation was at war with Germany. Alvin York was a Tennesee born citizen of the USA, and he received a draft notice. According to the story he had sent in notice of being a “Conscientious Objecter” seeking for release from being drafted.

By reading the Bible he had reached the conclusion that it was wrong to kill. After receiving the draft notice and realizing he had been turned down for a religious convictions waiver he went on to serve in the military. He was an expert marksman with a rifle.

When the man was about to receive the upper rank of Major he was given furlough to go home and think about the matter of “Killing a threat against another man”. He finally read where Jesus had said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”, and he received peace concerning his promotion in rank, and leading his men into battle.

On the battlefield, Major York and his company of men came under a barrage of bullet fire, and grenades. He alone took out the machine gunners, and captured nearly 100 men, after killing twenty or more, and took them down the hill to his men.

Upon his return home he was offered several profitable financial advances, but he refused them, because, he realized it was because of his taking the lives of those men. He did not want to profit from something, that duty had required him to do. Men, and women who will not take gains for their war efforts are certainly commendable, and much needed in our day and time.

God bless the real heroes of yesterday and those of today.

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

It is Officially Summer

Is it officially Summer on June 20, 2012?  It begins at 7:09 p.m.; according to the Old Farmers Almanac.  I am writing this at 5:50 a.m. so Summer does not begin until 6:09 this evening.  For many it has already started.

It started for many children when school let out for Summer break.  It started for many adults on Memorial day.  Summer actually begins when the sun reaches its furthest Northern trek.  That is for us who live in the Northern hemisphere.  For those down under Summer is during our Winter.

Let me leave you with this little bit of info from THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC;

“Did you know that the solstices and the equinoxes this year occur earlier than in any year since 1896? This is because the year 2000, which was an “extra” leap year (the first time in four centuries that such a change was made), combined with 2012, a routine leap year, to create a tweak of time that jump-starts the seasons this year.”

This comes from their email update at http://www.almanac.com.

Enjoy the Summer.  You have three more months of it.

-Tim