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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: A Prayer for Seamen, Sailors & Watermen

2/29/2020

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As the seasons begin to turn toward spring with the onset of March, one of the most difficult periods of work in and around America's Eastern Seaboard begins for those who make their living on the sea and its coastal tributaries. The period of time as we near the Ides of March frequently provides them with severe hazards on the job. The weather can change in an instant, and what started out as a beautiful day can become sinister in an instant, yet they labor on just like the seabird who can't rest until he finds food in his struggle for survival. So, since these people play such an important role for us as providers of good things to eat from the sea and as transporters of so many of the things we need and want, I think today is a great moment to prayer for their safety and success in what they do. And I also count in their number those in both the Navy and the Coast Guard who work tirelessly in all conditions to keep us both free and safe.

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Dear Lord Above, As March comes forth and one of your unique yet beautiful seasons gives way to another, we thank you for the beauty they bring to our time living on earth.  You are Our Creator, Our Lord and Our Savior, and we can ultimately accomplish nothing of importance without your grace and it is with that grace that you have given us the opportunity to gain Eternity if only we follow your will.  And today we especially thank you for those who make their living on the sea, from oceangoing ship seamen and officers, to watermen who ply coastal waters providing us the delicacies of the sea that we love, to those who work tirelessly to keep our waters safe and secure and our nation free. Life in this land would be much different, not nearly as rich, without the efforts of these personnel and we know that you, as always, played the major part in making them what they are.

So, Lord on this first day and first Sunday in the windy and often turbulent month of March, we ask for your grace and comfort for all of those who labor on the sea in so many different ways.  May you protect them from the storms, be with their family members who worry about them while they are in harm's way in doing their duty and keep them ever protected by your loving arms in their time of need.  Also, Lord, we would ask for the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to realize that to do those things they must do, they need you, Lord, for with you they can accomplish any task but without you they will truly come up short.

Finally, Lord, help all of us to do what we must to maintain the sea in a manner that meets with your approval, for the sea is an important part of the earth over which you have given us dominion.  When we follow your guidance in how we treat it, use it, and impact the lands around it, the sea will retain its functionality and its beauty as you wish.  Give us the strength to act accordingly, Lord, and to appreciate and care for those who have suffered in harm's way for doing all of those tasks to make our life safer, more secure and better because of their love for life on the sea. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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HERE'S WISHING EACH OF YOU FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS ON THIS SUNDAY MORNING.  WE ARE TRULY BLESSED BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA AND THOSE WHO TOIL ON IT IN OUR BEHALF.  HALLELUJAH!
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There Was No Winter Until............March Drew Near and Then.........

2/29/2020

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Baby, it's cold outside!
It's been a highly unusual winter in North Florida this year.  Excepting a day or two of really chilly weather, the period from early December to mid-February was very mild, even by Florida standards. But, lo and behold, with mid to late February coming forth, the coldest weather of the season hit and it has the flora in a tizzy.  February is usually a great budding month for all plant life here, but this year the freeze and warmer, freeze and warmer variances have most living things, including we humans, using the vernacular of the late Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up."  Oh, that's probably a bit of an overstatement but it makes my point and, furthermore, it opens the door to what is coming beginning tomorrow. With the turning of the calendar's page to March, all residents of the states bordering the Atlantic begin to keep a wary eye on the sea, for one of the biggest prime time threats to life and property is the dreaded major nor'easter.

Before going any farther, I must caution that the nor'easters on the East Coast are not the only threat. For parts of the country see some of their biggest blizzards of the season in March, the Midwest and South sees a huge spike in tornadic activity and heavy winds prevail over much of the land.  But the nor'easter, a storm which requires the right balance between high and low pressure gradients to be in place, coupled with a coastal storm working up the coast, can cause destruction of unbelievable degree due to the long lasting nature of such a storm.  Often, the variable pressure gradients and wind patterns combat one another so close that the storm can literally stall in place right offshore with the wind coming ashore lasting for multiple days at a level approaching hurricane strength. This pushes huge volumes of water toward shore where, when it reaches land with high waves on top, something has to give and that something is the land. If there is an inlet, water rushes into the sounds beyond and pushes past barrier islands to the inland shore, flooding dramatically.  Then when the storm goes by, the shifting winds push the water back toward the open sea, flooding the opposite side of the barrier islands similar to a tidal wave rush. Through it all the barrier isles take a beating with erosion and flooding which frequently can make a permanent change to the landscape. Some years it's not too massive, but on other years it is very severe and we don't know when and where until within a day or so of whether or not such a storm is in the offing.  It can then be impossible to get everyone to higher ground if the wait is too long to call it.

Probably the best example of the worse case in recorded history on the Eastern Seaboard was the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, which happened fifty-eight years ago from approximately March sixth through ninth.  Heavy winds and rain, excessively recurring high tides topped with giant waves, laid havoc to coastal communities from South Carolina to Massachusetts and none was harder hit than the North Carolina Outer Banks.  Just look at satellite picture below of the Banks and it's obvious why they are so vulnerable.   The Banks sit jutting out into the ocean as if daring the storm to hit. They also have the phenomenon of a cold Labrador Current flowing along shore from the north to Cape Hatteras, at which point it clashes with the slower moving but much larger warm Gulf Stream coming from the Gulf of Mexico.  The mixture of cold and warm current meeting under strong winds and hurricane-like conditions is impossible to dodge and in 1962 it hit with reckless abandon.  The saving grace of the day was the Outer Banks were very lightly populated, unlike today's massive growth, yet all of that growth being on a fragile sand base facing the mighty sea.  Sand readily succumbs to the sea when the sea is angry.  Will this be the year of another such major event?  Well, we won't know until we know but everyone should be aware that the possibility is always there.  After all it's March, the month which usually comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. So, beware of the Ides of March, then go about your life, only with a little understanding of what can happen.

I'll write more about that historical storm in the days ahead but I'll also pray that the entire East Coast be spared from a tragedy like the Big One in 1962. Just don't say you weren't warned of the possibility.
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THE OUTER BANKS: When the waters build, they have to go somewhere.
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THE CORONAVIRUS: How Concerned Should Americans Be?

2/27/2020

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Be cautious, but it's no time to panic.
THE CORONAVIRUS. Just the mention of the latest bug floating around the world and some of us get panicky and it's no wonder.  The media, in their continual attempt to make something sensational, is already painting this latest viral condition as an almost sure pandemic to come.  The problem with that is they don't know or, rather, they don't even really have a clue, and now of late they are jumping into the political fray making wild claims that it's all President Trump's fault, that he was slow to respond and now we face doom.  It just brings to mind the strategy that the Left routinely uses and it's one of creating a crisis out of anything, no matter whether it is a crisis or not.

Now I don't want to get into a long diatribe about what caused it and who is at fault since there are already some conspiracy theories going around that make about as much sense as what the shameless media is trying to do.  But we do know that the virus sprang up in places where unsanitary conditions run rampant and poor people lack the knowledge or the wherewithal to deal with it.  I'm talking about China, rural China, where in the poor rural areas animals of value are treated better sometimes than people.  A peasant farmer with a pig as his prized possession is likely to keep the animal in his home.  Furthermore, many things are eaten for food, some raw, in an environment just begging for a bug to grow and it happens.  For whatever we see about China and the big gleaming cities and bustling crowds (complete with smog of the variety that Pittsburgh had in the days of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring), many poor rural folks live in conditions more akin to medieval times.  This problem wasn't a creation of the United States, but of a society where cleanliness is questionable in many areas, where peasant farmers know no better, and where a totalitarian society masks itself under the guise of capitalism to make many think it is free but it is no such thing.

So, when the President was advised of the issue and the possibility of a serious impact, the President acted in a responsible way.  But before he could even be given time for his funding and action proposals to sink in, both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi immediately called his action totally insufficient while not even understanding what was going on. It's the modern Democratic Party mantra, Trump is bad and Democrats are good and anyone with any ability to apply logic realizes the fallacy of that.  One need only visit Schumer's New York or Pelosi's San Francisco to realize that. Crime is rampant, feces is on the streets and illegal immigrants run amok in both cities who openly violate federal law as sanctuary cities.  Trump is starting with $2.5B, with more to be applied if needed.  We don't even know at this point how significant an impact the Coronavirus will have on America.  Remember SARS and Ebola? The scares were flying high and the fears turned out to be so greatly overblown, again due to the media always looking for another crisis to exploit.  Yes, Corona is a concern as it should be, but for political leaders of one party to use it to stoke fear and create another crisis in advance is truly pathetic. And does anyone really think that either the Speaker or the Senate Minority Leader has some magic brilliance to explain the dollar figure that they want?  Of course not, they just want to try and create problems for the President, something which they have wasted most of the last few years trying to do. Both the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar and the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Dr. Anthony Fauci, a class act in his own right, have stated that actions being taken thus far are appropriate and the situation is being carefully watched for any changes.  Necessary actions will be taken as needed but, in the meantime, we need to be calm. Creating a panic would only be disastrous for every aspect of American life and we don't need another rendition of Peter and the Wolf until it is clear we need something drastic.

Having said that, I want to make one other observation. Over the last few years and with the avid support of both the Speaker and the Senate Minority Leader, large numbers of illegal immigrants, poor and many unhealthy, have come into country without proper medical screening and with them coming empty handed, looking for the dole from "Uncle Sugar."  How many diseases and other sicknesses did they bring with them to spread wherever they went?  What kind of health issues did that foment? Amazingly enough, we have no idea and it is by design, for neither the Democrats or their supportive media want anyone to find the answers.  Let's let the President and his supporting officials do their job. Stop stoking hate and discontent, Democrats. Instead, join in the effort to keep America healthy.  That shouldn't be difficult to comprehend.
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THE DEM S.C. DEBATE: It Was the Comedy Hour on Steroids

2/26/2020

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Even at the opening, Bernie couldn't smile and Bloomberg appeared lost in the upper deck.
Suppose they held a political debate and nobody debated.  Oh, the seven brothers and sisters of the mystic netherworld were there and they were loaded for bear, but the supposed debate quickly degenerated into chaos, with candidates talking over each other to the din of their constant whine and only one thing throughout the night was really clear.  Everyone but Bernie "It's free but you still have to pay for it" Sanders was gunning for the old Marxist and the angry native of Brooklyn never relented from his support for the Cuban regime. He extolled his belief how America can pay for everything for everyone, except those who have money, and it didn't matter if he knew how much money it would cost or not.  After all it's just money, so let's keep on printing and take what's left of the evil billionaires.  Poor Bernie doesn't realize if we took everything from our millionaires and billionaires, the government could only be funded for a short time and, of course, all the jobs created by those who would now be destitute would be gone as well.

Mayor Pete "Just Call me Alfred" Buttigieg was there, commenting on how tragic it would be should the campaign in the fall be a bloodbath between Bernie and Trump, thinking of himself as being the answer, despite the fact that his only experience is as mayor of a small city where his black citizenry abhors him and he fails to realize that the vision of him kissing his  husband on stage doesn't play real well with the general public and especially the black community. And what is it about Mayor Pete that makes me think of old Alfred E. Neuman every time I see him. Must be his hairline and his smile, I guess.  There's also Elizabeth "Screech" Warren, a woman who rails against monied interests yet she herself is, of course, quite well off and has agreed to take funding from those interests when she can get it. She spent most of her time of hammering Michael "You can't have that Big Gulp" Bloomberg about things that on the big scale, won't have anything to do with resolving the issues that most trouble America. What's more, most of those issues are already being resolved by Donald Trump while the Democrats have spent the last three plus years trying to get rid of Trump. I guess poor Elizabeth will go home to her husband for good soon and "get me one of those beers" that she talked about in a very bad internet ad a while back. Poor old rich Michael, the rich guy who loves to insult women,  still largely looks like a deer in the headlights as he finds that money can't buy a debate but yet he still has plenty to use on the voters.  After all, he almost openly admitted that he bought the House for the Democrats last time around.  Take note of that, Commonwealth of Virginia, next time to Governor passes another anti-gun or anti-living baby law.

Joe "Plugs" Biden was also there but he is quickly becoming someone who clearly is having trouble with his communications and some basic facts.  Perhaps he needs a medical assessment of his mental acuity.  No Joe, you aren't running for the Senate, but for President.  Amy "Don't ask me how but I can beat Trump" Klobuchar was pretty much a non-entity, still claiming she can be the one to beat the President but without any evidence of how and she is also beginning to run short on cash and, of course, there is Tom "Who in Hell is this guy" Steyer, a man who says he likes Bernie's ideas but that he still supports capitalism.  I, for one, don't know how that could be done, since the things Bernie wants to do will fully empower the state at the cost of freedom. That would impact all of us.

Does anyone really think that anyone was a winner in this performance of what I would call  "Snow White and the Seven Stooges?"  I don't think so and I don't think most Americans will either. We may be the unwashed, flyover, gun loving and Bible thumpers of the real America but there are a lot more of us than them. Oh, and by the way, I changed dwarfs to stooges because I didn't want anyone saying I was picking on Michael's stature. I'll just close by saying that the organization which generated this mess is itself, a BIG MESS.  Democrats: Never doubt how low they can go and how stupid they can be getting there.
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It Was a Sobering Moment, Indeed

2/24/2020

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Statue of an early circuit riding preacher in the Methodist tradition.
I must confess something from the outset this morning.  Sometimes when I am sitting in church and I allow my mind to be cluttered, I don't always take in the pastoral message as fully as I should.  It's not routine in occurrence but it sometimes happens, but yesterday was definitely not one of those days.  Yesterday, our wonderful minister, a man who has filled pulpits in many places for fifty years, spent his time in the pulpit telling us about the impending break-up of the Methodist Church, a split caused by the inability of those of traditional beliefs according to the Bible and the new age church members to reach a harmonious conclusion regarding the Book of Church Order.  This has been a very contentious issue for a number of years and now it appears it will break the denomination apart.  Now I must also confess that I am a traditionalist and I believe that the Word of God in the Holy Bible is the final authority and that the absolutes contained in it are just that, absolute truths.  While we certainly must have an open heart and one willing to forgive, we nonetheless have a responsibility to do our utmost to follow God's laws despite our sinful nature.  Anything less means we are looking for an excuse to let our weaknesses control us through sin. It's a continuous battle between good and evil, God and Satan, and it's one we can only win with the help of God.

Our Pastor, a kind and loving man but one more in tune with the Wesley circuit riding tradition than the modernists, told us a beautiful story of the foundation of the Methodist movement  which led up to the discussion of the sad situation we find ourselves in today. He told of how John Wesley believed, even though still an Anglican priest, that to gather the flock for Christ meant he must go out and preach to those in need, not wait for them to come to the church, and the basis of that preaching was the Word. This was quite different from his Anglican brothers who were much more staid and conservative in their approach, preaching from the formal pulpit in a place that so many of those who needed the message would never go. It was here that Wesley began his street preaching, a precursor to the  beginning of the circuit rider tradition which became a principal thrust of his preaching. It was a tough job, one fraught with many dangers,  including weather and the bands of highwaymen who roamed at will seeking easy targets of prey, such as a man of the cloth out in the wilderness alone.  Wesley himself is said to have ridden horses nearly a quarter of a million miles preaching sometimes as many as five sermons in a day to people in outposts where no minister was present.  This very tradition carried over to the Colonies and later the new United States as tough, single ministers weathered rain, snow, wind and hail on horseback going to outposts where wild animals and lawless men also saw them an easy mark.  It was for this reason that Methodism wanted only unmarried men in that  role due to the long absences from loved ones and the dangers the job brought.  Yet they did it as their duty to God who provided for them on their travels just as the Apostle Paul had lived.  The result was that Methodism thrived in rural communities and for a time the Methodist Church became the largest denomination in the United States and people who might have otherwise not had the opportunity were given the joy of hearing the Word of God.

As the Pastor continued his words, he told of a question asked of Wesley in his latter years.  He was asked if he thought his movement, would survive.  Wesley's response showed his clear insight, for he replied that the movement by name would likely survive but it would likely turn into something unidentifiable  to what it had been created to do.  And that is where as he spoke, the Ppastor, with his fifty years as a Methodist minister, shed a tear or two.  He said that what Wesley feared was what was happening today as the Church will address a break-up of the church during this year's annual conference, a break-up that will divide the traditionalists, those who cherish the Word of God as presented as the Truth, and the modernists, the liberal element of the church which believes that man today knows better what God meant by the Bible than what God stated through those inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit to write it.  And I must admit that I, too, shed a few tears as I realized fully that another institution important to our nation's beliefs and reliance on God was being dealt a mortal wound. Our church has become just another victim of the concept of evolving us into something that God never wanted us to be, a people of a watered down belief structure that no longer values the concepts of right versus wrong and instead surrenders to moral relativism.

It's a tough time for many of us these days as we wrestle with issues that we know are clearly not consistent with our moral beliefs.  One way to cope with that is to surrender, but when we surrender, we give up hope and fail to stand for what we know to be right. Another way is just to ignore it and think it will go away which it will not.  Finally, the only other way is to stand for what we know to be truth.  With it comes ridicule, false charges and other difficulties, yet we also know that God will never give us more than what we can handle, but He does often test our resolve.  We should take comfort in that.  After all, on the continuum of eternity, earthly life is just an ink spot on a line that has no beginning or no ending. Just think, when we stand with Him, our very existence moves to the never ending line with eternal life forever.  It's sad what is happening, yes, but it is in reality only an earthly matter and will be meaningless in the Kingdom.  Choose eternal life and live forever.


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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: A Visit to the Beautiful River Today

2/23/2020

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Our Lord is the River of the Water of Life
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
                                                                         - Revelation 22: 1 (NLT)

On Sunday mornings, I find myself anxious to experience the joy of believing God and The Savior in a place which clearly exemplifies the feeling of witnessing the most beautiful river I have ever seen. That river is the River of the Water of Life which is provided only by God the Father and the Son.  Many of us will think about the river from the hymn, Shall We Gather at the River.  I first remember that hymn from the old Westerns. It was frequently associated with hangings in the town square when the bad guys were caught and punished, old West style.  And while that might seem like a gruesome touch, it did make me think of how even the bad guys, if they realized the evil of their ways and asked for forgiveness, could find eternity, for it is never too late to change and believe until after you are already dead.  But I'll bet not too many associate it with the Book of Revelation, then one book in the New Testament that many don't like to read or contemplate, but in the last chapter of that book, just as shown above, is the passage about the River Life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, Jesus.  That river represents salvation through the bathing of the Spirit upon us from that river.

As for us in modern  times, the River of Life is wherever Jesus Christ is in your heart. for He is the giver of eternal life. No place is better due to its presentation of peace and hope than the Lord's House, and it is in such a place where we go to worship that the River of Life flows freely.  It is so since we all associate attending church with going to God's House to spend time with Him and where would the River of Life be more likely to be reached than in that special place. Again, the River of Life can be found wherever we draw close to God and open ourselves to Him and the  Christ through our Holy Spirit connection, but there is something that is super special to me when I walk toward the church door on a Sunday morning, see the doors open in welcome, hear beautiful music and listen to the bell chime. The River of Life is at that moment flowing toward me just as if I was sitting on the bank watching the water flow by.

Whatever your plans for this Sunday morning and wherever you might be, take time to witness the River of Life in the personage of God the Father and Son with the help and guidance of the inner Holy Spirit of God. You will feel better, you will feel closer in your connection to Him and it will truly play its part in making you and life better in harmony.  Now go have a blessed Sunday and bask in the sunlight as you admire the beautiful flow of His River.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON: A Special President Among Presidents

2/22/2020

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Pictured above are three illustrations by artists depicting George Washington, the first President of the United States, in three different times and places in his illustrious life. In the first picture on the left,  George is shown[ with his father when he was a young boy after his father asked him if he had done the chopping on his prized cherry tree, to which it is claimed that George said he couldn't tell a lie and yes, he did it.  Now the story itself is told as a legend, but I will discuss it further in this commentary.  The second shows Washington crossing the Delaware in the bitter cold, sleet and snow as he led and encouraged his troops toward battle with the Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey who were fighting for the Crown against the upstart Americans. That fight would either doom Washington's Army to failure allow the Colonials to get the support needed to keep fight alive with success. And the last portion of his public life, Washington as President, points out how the outcome of his acceptance of leading the new nationan event which began with his selection as President and  and could have been much different had George wanted it so.  All three periods are important and they all led to the result being a man who is unique among all of our Chief Executives and deserving of a special place in history.

The first picture identified a key factor and no, the cherry tree incident is not thought to have been true, but rather representative of George's responsibility at a young age for acting as a man of the house. You see, George lost his father at age eleven and that required for him to assume responsibilities for his family, a common occurrence in Colonial times. George was, indeed, a responsible young man who loved his mother and it showed in his maturity and taking his responsibilities seriously. The result was the family finding its way through the difficult time with positive consequences and it helped George develop the ability to focus on goals and ultimately accomplish them.

Picture two shows George as the Commander of the Continental Army some thirty years later. At the time of the picture showing the approach by water across the Delaware River toward New Jersey and Trenton,  Washington's Army was in tatters, hungry and without proper winter clothing and many without boots.  the Revolutionary War was on the verge of ending disastrously before the battle really got started and Washington knew he needed a victory if he expected the Continental Congress to provide the provisions to continue on.  Yet despite their hardships, Washington's men remained determined to fight, much of that determination coming from their general's leadership, and the victory that occurred in the early hours of the morning after Christmas 1776 lit the light of hope that sparked the ensuing energy to and drive which would lead nearly five years later to  the British surrender at Yorktown.

The ensuring years, 1782 through 1788 were wrought with difficulty as the new nation struggled with organizing itself and was dealing with factionalism among the thirteen colonies.  Yet, somehow the effort stayed alive until the Constitution was finally written creating the experiment in a representative democratic republican type of governance that was a marvel of the world.  Oh, it wasn't finished in its entirety until the Bill of Rights was finally approved after the election by the representatives of the people of a man to lead the new nation. As we all know, that man was the former Continental Army Commanding General, George Washington. He was the perfect choice with his bravery, his stature as a leader of men and his desire to make sure the new nation was led in a way that would preclude the creation of a similar situation to which they had finally escaped, a powerful monarchy not responsive to the people and the quest to maintain freedom.  Washington could have asked for and become a monarch, for that would have likely been agreeable to a people who wanted a strong leader but he would have nothing of it, and so the decision to create an elected President of the United States came to fruition.

Looking back at Washington's rise from a boy with no father to leadership of what would become later the most powerful nation on earth, it becomes obvious, at least to me, that this man's presence was pre-ordained by a greater power than man himself.  After all, Washington spent time as young man as a surveyor, a dangerous occupation out in the wilderness where tragedies were so common.  As a military leader, many reports were submitted by his subordinates saying that his ability to avoid almost certain death in combat had to be attributed to something much more powerful than he and, as the man selected to lead the land, he was obviously guided by principles and beliefs contrary to what so many others might have done when faltering could have made him a very wealthy and lifelong leader. That things turned out the way they did tell me that they were ordained by Mighty Providence, and it was his place in history to carry that forth. And that, my friends, is why I truly rate George Washington as the greatest President in American history, for if any of those things in his life had been different, our story as a nation could have been much different with a less remarkable outcome or even outright failure. Happy birthday to the late and great George Washington, for on this day the lamp of freedom shines brightly all over the fruited plain. It's a day to truly be proud of being an American.
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They Were the Greatest Fridays of my Life

2/21/2020

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Whalebone Junction on the Outer Banks, circa 1963
When we hear someone say that something was the greatest in their life, it is naturally a tendency to disbelieve, thinking that it as an overstatement.  But when I make the statement as displayed in the heading above, I can tell you that it is the absolute truth.  Now I've had many other wonderful Fridays in my life, ones that I remember fondly and that played a part in allowing me to be satisfied with my life as I look back.  None of those days were as magical, however, capturing my soul, or exciting me as those days in my youth when we arrived for our summer vacation at Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the 1950's and early '60's. And if you think the picture above makes the beach look wide open and free, you should have seen it back in the early 1950's when the only road for passage was the beach road. The bypass, shown on the upper left wasn't fully completed until the early '60's.

I was blessed to have a mother who was a native Outer Banker and a father who, once Mom introduced him to it, just loved the beach.  He was a hard-working and successful physician who knew she wanted a summer place and that he needed a place to relax and unwind. Plus, with two children in the family and the third soon to be added, it would be the perfect family place for memories and I can attest to how it truly filled that bill and then some.  So, what was it about having a place on the oceanfront during all of those summer years that made the Friday of arrival so special?  Simple put, it was the realization on arrival that what I would experience in the days ahead would transform my spirit as if by magic, a time where bathing suits and bare feet were the rule and everyone knew all those around them. It was small town America on the Atlantic coast and a family place where families returned year after year and all of the wonderful locals also came to be friends.  It was safe and secure, everyone looked out for each other and locks weren't needed for crime was practically non-existent and the beach was wide, dogs could run free, bonfires required no permit, traffic was not an issue, and jeeps were plentiful, both on the beach and on Jockey's Ridge.

All of those things certainly had their impact on me in my first eighteen years, but it was much more than just that.  Maybe those Fridays were so important because of the impression they had on me. Maybe the impression I had of knowing that every morning I awoke would be a glorious time to walk the beach early, see that glory of the sunrise and what it meant.  Maybe it was learning from the birds in the sky and on the beach of how hard work was necessary for both success and survival.  Maybe it was watching the local fishermen bring in nature's bounty and helping them to sort and get the catch ready for the market.  Maybe it was learning to work a trotline or attending the little Baptist Church with the power man of God who truly loved his work and his church family. But perhaps most of all, it was having my father explain so much about how that beautiful place had to be appreciated and cherished, for things never stay the same for long and he was oh, so correct. That was so important, for when my father passed away during those years, those things he showed me and explained to me have stayed active in my heart and played such a role in my belief structure and my reliance on God.  The place, however, has changed so dramatically that if the geography wasn't simlar to as it had been, it would be unrecognizable.

Now I don't know how many of you had similar experiences, but I know there are some of you who share those memories of Nags Head with me.  And I'll bet, when you sit down and ponder all those wonderful times, the day when you arrived for the season probably had a similar impact.  Thank you for the memories, Lord, for no one can ever take them away.  They are truly part of my soul.
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BOY SCOUT BANKRUPTCY: Will the Tradition Just Die?

2/20/2020

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From a Michigan Chapter Facebook homepage.
Yes, the headline is true.  The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy, but the real story is why and, when all is said and done, what will happen to the Boy Scouts?  Well, the cause is that the organization is awash in sexual abuse lawsuits and with a dwindling Scout membership and the subject of abuse of children being so prevalent today, and rightly so, the assets needed to morally dispense the charges just aren't available unless they are sold off.

Remember, however, that in dealing with business or organizational failures and meeting their obligations, what is law prevails and sometimes the law doesn't have the laws of God included which govern His creation's laws as given by the Ten Commandments.  No, man's laws are determined by elected politicians who make those decisions and they are faulty due to the influences which impacted the creation of those laws. So, if the decision is made to reorganize the corporate structure as determined by the court, instead of fully paying for the likely judgments and costs against it, plaintiffs will receive compensation that will be formulated based upon how much money is available and what the proper breakdown of those funds should be.  But, regardless of where this ends up, what used to be known as the Boy Scouts is now a shell of itself, both in terms of its attractiveness to young boys and the resultant number of active members in the organization itself.  When you take a brand, change it to take out many of the things that made it attractive, not just to the boys but to caring parents looking for something to give them a moral value structure, then the brand just becomes another one that is torn apart in the resultant actions.

In my opinion, the Boy Scouts as both a social good and a corporate structure, has lost its compass. It has taken a path which it thought would lead it to continued growth, but it has instead taken away the very value structure that made it so All American.  That value structure included God and country and the close relationship of the two.  The Boy Scouts at its founding recognized the same thing that the Founder realized, that the American experience began from a relationship with God and that God was the traditional one, with godly law based upon God's creative structure and nature, not philosophically evolved balderdash talking about God and what He expected to evolve.  God's laws don't evolve, they are eternal, and when man changes them, society and the structure of organizations founded on that firm foundation crumble as a result.  Now having stated that, the acceptable moral code evolution of the Boy Scouts didn't start the problem, for it existed any time a group leader violated his trust. If the parent unit had taken the steps to remedy the situation when it happened, many of the lawsuits in the pipeline would have been unnecessary.  But in recent times, with the Boy Scouts watering down their standards, the organization now takes the position, whether it realizes it or not, has dramatically changed its value structure to get in line with a "if it feels good, do it" society. That is one which assumes that all things are merely relative, that there are no absolutes that are sacred.  For the Boy Scouts and other organizations which traditionally played a role in maintaining the view of a strong linkage between God and country, that role has just disappeared. When the norms and standards associated with that goal go, so does the organization and when unacceptable behavior results, and particularly when it involves actions by an adult toward a child below the legal age, it is tragic and is likely to have consequences on the child that are both not positive for the child or the organization.  It's really just that simple.

To do one's duty to God and country, a child must understand God and His relationship to the nation. And then, to be morally straight he must follow the laws of God, for they are eternal and everlasting, unlike man's laws which can be changed by the whim of a changing political body.  Agree or disagree, I would hope that readers would just consider that argument and think about this final word in a questioning way. It's simply How did we come to change the laws of nature and water down God's word, factors which have played a leading role in societal living that has worked for thousands of years? We have clearly done just that and as a result, how can we expect anything different than the unintended consequences that have taken place?  And one of these is the dramatic impact of an adverse way on the Boy Scouts of America.  Make your own decision on this and believe what you want, just be sure you are willing to accept the consequences.
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When Amazing Words Come From Where They Are Least Expected

2/19/2020

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Singer, songwriter and guitarist Chrissie Hynde
Sometimes a nice word can come from the most unexpected places, like the other day when New Age Rocker Chrissy Hynde passed along a thank you to President Trump.  Ms. Hynde is certainly not a fan of the President, for she is a devout liberal of the strongest order, a vegan and a long-time student of the hippie counter-culture, so what could it be that Donald Trump did to merit her thanks.  Well, it was quite simple and it was for, of all things the love of her father.

Chrissie Hynde grew up in Ohio, was likely rebellious toward her parents and their view as was so often in those days of anti-war protest revolving around the Vietnam War.  What's more, she attended Kent State University as a music arts student and one of her best friends on campus had a boyfriend who was one of the four students killed in the National Guard campus tragedy.  This undoubtedly added to her view of the government and policy and not too long thereafter she went to Europe.  She came back for a while to Ohio but ultimately settled in London, where she lives today.  As she got older, however, while her politics and lifestyle continued to reflect her views, she learned the art of tolerating those with whom she didn't agree. She also developed a respect for her then aging father, realizing that her parents were both from a different age and that they loved her. So, she enjoyed spending time when in the country visiting with him and she watched him come alive through his devotion to the latest craze on the radio starting in the late 1980's, talk radio.  Rush Limbaugh was his favorite and she remembered that.

So, when President Trump presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Ms. Hynde sent a message to the President thanking him for doing so.  She said that while she disagreed with Rush on most issues, he was a great entertainer and wasn't afraid to voice his opinion in front of twenty-million listeners and that her father always loved it.  Rush mentioned that on his radio program, telling a little known secret which now the world would know.  And he also explained how the publisher of the music had tried to refuse the Rush Limbaugh Program from further use of the song as it's theme, but Chrissie Hynde told the publisher to leave it alone.  He did, and the music prior to the words sung by the singer open his show every day as they have for years.  And I don't know about the rest of you, but for the singer, a woman of much different views than either Rush or her late father, to stand up for what she remembered just because the memories were wonderful was refreshing to me.  Maybe we should consider that as just a small message supporting tolerance, grace and the acceptance of different viewpoints and political and religious beliefs to stand. After all, what we see today is a one way street and if liberalism continues its push to silence those who disagree with their view, the counter push will be dramatic and it won't be good for anyone with the chaos that will erupt. Freedom means we are all free to voice our views and hold our cherished religious beliefs and I'm glad that Chrissie Hynde has gave just a small example of what that can mean.

And by the way, if you don't know the song, the link below will take you to her group, The Pretenders, and her rendition of the song on youtube.  The title is The City is Gone and it tells her study of going back to her hometown in Ohio and finding it, or at least as she knew it, gone. Just copy and paste to your browser to listen.
                                           www.youtube.com/watch?v=thu8DWsirJo 
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    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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