Fruits of My Labor

     Sometimes I just have to escape the turmoil of the day and immerse myself in simpler, more organic tasks.  So this last Saturday afternoon seemed the perfect time to do something with the potato yield from my garden.  Since PLW and I love soups and stews in the winter months, having canned potatoes on hand is a definite plus.

     I don't know about you, but I can buy a bag of potatoes and no matter how careful I am to preserve them, they always go bad before I use them all.  And since we had a healthy crop from the garden this year, I didn't want to waste them and decided that canning would be the way to go.
     It's really quite simple .... the hardest part, and the most exhausting, is the peeling process.  But luckily, PLW sharpened my knife, which made a HUGE difference.  He even volunteered to help peel the last 10 pounds.

       I quartered the potatoes and put them in a 5-gallon pot on the stove to boil.  Once they'd boiled for about 10 minutes, they were ready to put in my pint jars.  I like to run my jars through a wash/heat cycle in the dishwasher, where they remain heated until I'm ready to use them.  The lids simmer in a pot of water on top of the stove, and the rings are washed and left in my sink of hot water.  It can be a little tricky getting the timing right on the dishwasher, peeling and boiling, but it worked out perfectly to start my jars in the dishwasher as I began peeling the potatoes.

     Once the potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, I drain them and begin stuffing them into the pint jars.  I then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each jar, and ladle in boiling water, which was in a separate pot on the stove.  You are supposed to leave 1" headspace on the jar, and I have a tendency to overfill the jars, which causes them to boil over a little in the pressure canner.  (So do what I say, not as I do).  You seal them with a lid and ring and stack the pints in the pressure canner, canning them for 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

     Once you remove the pressure canner from the fire and allow the pressure to drop to zero, you can remove the pint jars and allow them to stand for 12-24 hours before storing.  There's something about hearing those lids pop that brings such satisfaction!  And now we have perfectly cooked potatoes available for our winter soups, or potato salad, or ready to heat up if we just want some good 'ol mashed potatoes.  

     And the best part of the whole process was that I didn't have time to think about the news or the state of the world .... it was a welcome break and the rewards were so much greater!

Psalm 128:2     "You will eat what your hands have produced; you will be happy and prosperous."

Right On, Sister!

     I so desperately want to believe that some meaningful action is going to come out of the IRS hearings on Capitol Hill.  My husband, Peace-Loving Warrior (PLW), keeps telling me not to get my hopes up.  He fears it's all for show to calm the American people down.
     I must admit that there is no sign that Congress has the will to follow through on any kind of legal action.  Indeed, if I heard him correctly, Senator Rand Paul, admitted that while Congress holds the purse strings and could vote to cut funding to the IRS, the President has the ultimate authority to accept or veto such a move.  So, while I want to have confidence that our representatives in Congress will do the right thing by "we, the people", I'm afraid PLW might have the more accurate vision.

     Regardless, I had to stand and cheer in my living room when I saw Becky Gerritso, President of the Wetumpka Tea Party of Alabama give one of the most honest and passionate speeches I have heard throughout this entire fiasco.  Like many of us, Becky and her husband had never become involved in politics, nor had they ever been interested in making their voices heard before 2008.  They had always considered themselves patriotic Americans, but when the government instituted the first $700 Billion bailout, they knew this great country was in trouble.  When an additional $787 Billion was spent just months later in January 2009, they were alarmed to find that the money went to foreign countries, failing banks and unproductive industries.
     Like millions of us, they knew this was more than "deficit spending as usual".  The government was out of control, and if ordinary Americans didn't try to do something, that runaway train of spending was going to continue to build steam.  So they joined other concerned citizens across the country in an attempt to educate and empower Americans to get involved in our constitutional process of government.  The Wetumka Tea Party was born on April 15th, 2009, as were so many others throughout this land.  Non-partisan in nature; Republicans, Democrats and Independents showed up to express their feeling that their representative government had failed them.
     Becky told the Congressional hearing that the Wetumka Tea Party is made up of patriotic Americans, who only wanted to peacefully assemble, petition their government, and exercise their right to free speech.  So why would the government (via the IRS) try to stop them?
     And that's when her emotions threatened to engulf her.   It's as if she knew she was speaking for a nation, and her voice trembled; she was obviously close to tears.  But through the strength of her passion, Becky Gerritso gave what I think is one of the most memorable speeches I have ever heard:


     “I’m not here as a serf or a vassal.  I’m not begging my lords for mercy. I’m a born-free American woman, wife, mother, and citizen. And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place.
     It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well being and to monitor my speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. The post that you occupy exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty and you have faltered.”

    In one brief moment, Becky Gerritso expressed the spirit of America.  She spoke without rancor or deception.  She accurately portrayed the duty and responsibility of our federal government ... and she told them the unequivocal truth --- they've failed.  But she also stated a fact that I hope struck the hearts of every Congressman at that hearing.  We are not your servants or your slaves; we do not bow down to you.  We are born free through the grace of God, and this country exists because He ordained it.  Furthermore, the positions these Congressmen occupy are at the behest of a free people, and their role is to preserve the freedom and liberty God has lent us.  Because He gave us this land, it is within His authority to take it away.
     Becky expressed it better than I can, and she may never know how many, just like me, stood and cheered when we heard her tear-choked speech.  That same spirit is alive in millions of men and women, and I pray to God that He will help us preserve this land we love.

Ecclesiastes 10:4     "If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest."

Sixty-Nine Years Ago Today

     I don't expect that too many Americans will stop today and give a thought to what happened nearly seventy years ago today.  Because of the sacrifice of brave Americans, the world was allowed to know freedom for a few decades more.  Will we be able to hang on to it?  That remains to be seen.  But I wanted to honor all those who did their duty and give you a little history lesson.  I found this article that will give you a sense of what Americans faced on this day, so many years ago, and I hope you take the time to contemplate just what this anniversary means .....
 

     In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, Americans received word that three years of concerted war efforts had finally culminated in D-day--military jargon for the undisclosed time of a planned British, American, and Canadian action. During the night, over 5,300 ships and 11,000 planes had crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy. The goal of every soldier and civilian involved in that effort was to drive the German military back to Berlin by opening a western front in Europe.
     General Dwight David Eisenhower was in command of the invasion, which was code-named Operation Overlord. Just months prior, the 1915 West Point graduate had led the invasion of French North Africa.
     The U.S. entered the World War II without the infrastructure and logistical support necessary to win. To overcome this deficit, Americans worked around the clock. Donald Nelson, chairman of the War Production Board from 1942-44, said, "The American war-production job was probably the greatest collective achievement of all time."
     Sixty million Americans mobilized to win the war. They held concerts and sold war bonds to raise money; rationed foodstuffs and gasoline; and salvaged scrap metal to transform it into machinery. Civilians produced everything from guns to socks for the men in the field -- 25 billion rounds of 30-caliber ammunition, over 88,000 tanks, and 460,000,000 pounds of cabbage. Every twenty-four hours, factory workers rolled five new B-26 bombers off of the assembly line. At the Higgins plant in New Orleans, the first fully-integrated work force in the U.S. produced 20,094 newly-conceived landing craft, 1,500 of which put troops ashore on D-Day.

     At about 3:00 a.m. on D-Day, on the four-meter swells of the English Channel, Allied troops transferred to those landing craft, some twelve miles off the French coast. British troops headed left toward Caen, the Americans right toward Utah and Omaha beaches nearer Cherbourg, and the Canadians to Juno Beach.

     For the Americans, Omaha was a near-suicide mission. First, a powerful undertow swept away lives and weapons; ten landing craft with twenty-six artillery guns and twenty-two of twenty-nine tanks were swamped. Then, they faced a maelstrom of bullets. Within ten minutes of landing every officer and sergeant of the 116th Regiment was dead or wounded. Yet, by 10:00 a.m., as Americans received the first news of D-Day, 300 men had struggled through mortar fire, across the body and equipment strewn beach, and up a bluff to attack the German defenses. By nightfall, the Allies had a toehold on the continent, yet, on "Bloody Omaha" alone, 3,000 Americans lay dead.

     So as you go about your business today, say a silent "thank you" to the men who gave their lives on those far-away beaches sixty-nine years ago.  They should never be forgotten for the sacrifice they made so that others might be free.  God Bless them, every one!

Deuteronomy 31:6     "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

     

This Teacher Admits Defeat

     You might have seen the recent article on SHTFPlan.com, in which teacher Ellie Rubenstein lamented the sad state of American education.  As someone who had dedicated 15 years of her life to teaching, it was apparent by her comments that Ms. Rubenstein had come to the end of her rope.
     Her goal had been to teach her students to love the act of learning; to think for themselves and to use critical thinking skills to solve problems, rather than becoming victims of a substandard educational system.  Yet, like so many other teachers who desired to implement standards of their own, she found that the government got in the way.  State and federal "boards" just didn't care about the individual student --- it was all about test scores, which translates into federal money.
     In a concise and emotional video, titled I Quit, You Can't Fire Me, Rubenstein enumerates the reasons she can no longer allow her voice to be stifled.  Because she is no longer allowed to impact the learning and the lives of her students, then it is time to pack it in.
     I will admit that I am no fan of teacher's unions and feel that far too many poor teachers are protected; teachers who are only too willing to carry out the marching orders of a Progressive educational agenda in our schools.  However, I come from a long line of impassioned teachers such as Ms. Rubenstein, and it is quite evident in her video that she took her profession and her students quite seriously.  She makes it very clear that she cares more about the people her students will become than the test scores they generate.
   

These are just some of her comments:

     The emphasis in education has shifted from fostering academic and personal growth in both students and teachers, to demanding uniformity and conformity.  


     Real teachers, the ones who care about their students, the ones who teach kids to think critically and not just recite things by rote, are being targeted. Why?  Because our public indoctrination centers, also known as schools, don’t want children to think.

     They want children to learn specified “facts” in order to pass standardized tests, thus creating perfect little worker bees. They want to produce adults who will not question authority or the status quo, but merely assimilate what they are told as truth, and act accordingly.  

Because of this, the school system is losing those teachers who could make a real difference in the future of our country.

     She has hit the nail on the head!  Whether it is Tea Party groups and the IRS; the freedom of the press to report accurately; or the ability of teachers to influence and shape their students' lives through creative and dynamic teaching --- all of our belief systems and opinions are being targeted to subdue individual and independent thought.  It's "shut up and sit down" or you are singled out for retaliation.
     When I think about the spirited and inventive teachers that guided my learning, I am sad for this generation of students.  School boards across the land are eliminating field trips, guest speakers, and innovative projects because they don't improve test scores.
     I had an eighth-grade English teacher that made diagramming sentences fun, if you can imagine that!  There was always laughter in her classroom.  And a high school English teacher didn't just have us read  Alfred, Lord Tennyson and the legends of King Arthur and Camelot.  He took us to see Camelot on stage.  A history teacher taught us about the Holocaust and took us to see Billy Graham's movie on Corrie Ten Boom and the sacrifice her family made to try and save Jews.  All of this would be unthinkable in today's classrooms .... especially any promotion of anything by Billy Graham!
     But those episodes affected me profoundly!  They gave me a love for poetry and history, and I was able to hear Corrie Ten Boom, herself, speak in a monologue after her movie, and I learned how faith can move mountains.
     Our test scores were a matter of pride for ourselves, not a source of revenue for the school district.  All opinions and ideas were encouraged, and creativity and originality were championed.  Our teachers were allowed to nurture our individual talents and proclivities, and we were inspired to push ourselves to new heights.
     Unfortunately, Ellie Rubenstein has not enjoyed the same experiences.  So I fear that more teachers will be forced to make the painful decision she made, and leave a profession they loved.  But it is not only Ellie's heart that has been broken, it is the spirit of learning and enlightenment within the halls of our public school system.  And she's right .... the reality of that is going to be detrimental to the future of our country.

Deuteronomy 32:2     "May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb."
     

Will You Pay the Price?

     It is quite apparent that the culture and the values of this nation (and arguably, the world) have changed dramatically.  More people live a life of "entitlement" than ever before; the latest available data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that a record number 23 million households in the United States are now on food stamps.  Our educational system is going down the tubes, our incomes are declining, and quality health care will soon be a privilege enjoyed only by the Elite.  What's more, if you stand by time-honored Christian tenets, you are labeled a bigot, racist, homophobic, islamophobic, or worse; usually involving four-letter words.
     But just take a look at some of the headlines I ran across today .... Transgender Teen Voted Prom Queen .... Man Who Named Son After Adolph Hitler Shows Up at Custody Hearing in Nazi Uniform .... Atheists Launch Hotline for Christians Wanting To Flee Their Faith .... Anti-Muslim Speech Could Be a Civil Rights Violation ....  These would have been unthinkable when I was a child.
    But today, our children live far different lives in this modern culture.  For starters, they no longer run and play in the sunshine.  Instead, they are mesmerized by a tiny computer screen that is perpetually attached to their thumbs; the movement of which is the only exercise some of them get!  They do everything based on a computer and the internet; communicate with each other, get information about the world, play games, and receive their self-esteem by how many friends they have on Facebook.
      Parents compete with the entertainment world in influencing their children.  Anything goes ... from singers who promote satanic worship, to actors who tell your children how to vote, to movies and books that espouse the virtues of vampires, families with two daddies, and multiple sex partners outside your marriage.
     So just how do you respond when confronted with something that offends your faith or your principles?  How do you prepare your children to wade through the moral dilemmas that they will definitely face in their future, if they haven't already?
     If you're like the Boy Scouts, you bow to the pressure and sacrifice long-held standards for the sake of financial survival.  You somehow convince yourself that it is OK to bend the rules and that God will understand.  You surrender and you give in.

     If you are Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, an Oregon-based bakery, you pay the price after refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple’s ceremony.  They didn't make a big deal out of it; they just politely refused, citing their Christian faith.  But apparently, faith no longer trumps culture.
     For nearly four months now, the Kleins have been harassed with threatening emails and phone calls.  Some have even gone as far as stating that Aaron should be shot; and they received an apparent threat that he be raped.  Other remarks included a wish for the couple’s five children to be stricken with illness.  If you want a feel for just how sick the emails have been, read these:

“You stupid bible thumping, hypocritical b**ch.  I hope your kids get really, really, sick and you go out of business,” reads one e-mail.

“Here’s hoping you go out of business, you bigot. Enjoy hell,” reads another.

     It saddens me that maintaining one's faith should result in such hateful discourse.  I'm pretty sure if they were standing by any other faith but Christianity, there would have been more tolerance from the public.  And what makes me even sadder is that fellow Christians have even failed to stand behind them.  Initially, the faithful supported their decision and rallied around them.  But when they, themselves -- or their businesses -- were threatened, that support began to disappear.  Vendors have even been compromised, as they are harrassed for doing business with the Kleins.
     And to let you know how virulent the hate is against these Christian business-owners, the cultural opposition has tried to entrap them into baking for other events that would go against their Christian principles, such as parties for divorces, unmarried parents, or pagan solstice parties.  The Kleins have stood steadfast in their faith.  Aaron Klein has been quoted as saying that he and his wife will stick by their convictions and that their religious freedom is protected under both Oregon and federal constitutions.  “I can say I don’t want to take part in something that violates my religious beliefs. If they want to shut me down because of it, then they could shut me down.”  And that is a very real possibility, as the Kleins have suffered economically, and closing the doors may become a reality.
     So my question to you is this ..... how far are you willing to go to stand up for your beliefs?  Because I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Today it is how you operate your business; tomorrow it could be how you choose to raise or educate your children (as in the case of the German home-schooling family).  But make no mistake.  The Bible tells that we will suffer for our faith in the End Times.  The Enemy is going to do everything in his power to trip us up; make it difficult to support our families; cause us to compromise our safety, our livelihood, our very lives and those of our loved ones.
     Will you throw in the towel like the Boy Scouts .... or will you stand firm like Aaron and Melissa Klein?  Don't fool yourself into thinking it doesn't matter; that it won't happen to you; or that it's OK to do anything to survive.  If you are a Christian, then you know those thoughts are lies.  Strengthen yourself now; your mind, your heart and your soul.  Because we may not know exactly what is coming, but God has told us that difficult and dark days are ahead of us -- and He is watching how we respond.

James 1:12    "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

Do You Still Doubt The Global Caliphate?

     You know, I look back over my thoughts of the last year-and-a-half that I've been writing this blog and the issues that I've felt were important to share, and it is amazing how far we've come in our national "transformation".
     Blog posts on food storage, firearms training, and threats to our Constitution seem "old hat" now.  If you haven't sought information on these topics yet, then you are waaay behind the curve.  Because, in case you haven't noticed, the intent to change our American way of life has come out of the shadows and it is much more "in your face".  Whether it is the hijacking of our education system through the Common Core Standards, the intimidation by the IRS of anyone who doesn't agree with the Party in power, or the metamorphosis of our law enforcement system into using military-style tactics --- it's all designed to change the very foundation of this country.  And this realization leads me to a news item that I found not only disturbing, but quite alarming.

     Last week, The Clarion Project reported on the building of a 15-acre, $100 million mega-mosque in Maryland.  Nothing illegal there; we have freedom of religion in this country.  But The Clarion Project, which is a non-profit organization that draws together Middle East experts, scholars, human rights activists and Muslims to promote tolerance and moderation and to challenge extremism, says there is much more to this "Largest and most striking example of Islamic architecture in the western hemisphere."
     Indeed, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who visited the site, warned an audience in attendance that there are groups in America promoting “Islamophobia.”  He branded such potential critics as paranoid bigots.  And to further his "official" statement about the virtues of Islam, he attempted to stage a meeting between the President and the father of one of the Islamists killed while on a Turkish flotilla which was trying to break Israel’s weapons blockade on Gaza.  Alas, he had to settle for John Kerry.
     But behind the scenes there was a more disturbing narrative.  Also in attendance at the media blitz for the mega-Mosque were the leaders of two U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities.  One of the men is Naeem Baig, the president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). A 1991 U.S. Muslim Brotherhood memo lists ICNA as one of “our organizations and the organizations of our friends.” The memo says its “work in America is "a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within.”  Comforting, isn't it?
     The second official from a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity that attended the event was Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA and several of its components are listed as U.S. Muslim Brotherhood fronts in the same 1991 Brotherhood memo. ISNA was also an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case, dubbed the largest Islamic terror-funding trial in the history of the U.S.  Federal prosecutors in the case also listed ISNA as a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity.
     I'm sure you are aware that outspoken critics of the Muslim Brotherhood, like Glenn Beck and former UN Ambassador John Bolton, have warned about the desire for the establishment of a global Caliphate, which is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious as well as political leader.  They've been laughed at and mocked by the MSM.  I don't know about you, but the statement above by the ICNA seems to go a long way towards substantiating their claims.
     If you still need convincing, consider this: the Turkish government has been quietly spreading its influence in the U.S., but Erdogan's public invovlement in the building of this center takes Turkey's "outreach" in America out of the realm of the subtle.
     The Clarion Project also recently reported on the growing ties between the Turkish government and Native American tribes. With Congress' help, thousands of Turkish contractors and their families may be flooding into America's heartland and settling in semi-autonomous zones of the Native Americans, well out of the reach of American authorities.  Why would that be, do you think?

Various organizations operating within
the Gülen Movement 

     And if you think all this is subtle maneuvering by the Islamists, there is an even more frightening aspect to their influence.  Right here in Texas, there is an investigation into the Cosmos Foundation, a charter school operator founded a decade ago by a group of professors and businessmen from Turkey. The group, currently using the name Harmony Schools, has become the biggest charter operation in the state.  True, its primary mission is educating schoolchildren, and it has carefully garnered a reputation for elevating our failing educational rates in the areas of math, science, and computer technology -- which makes it quite attractive to parents who want their children to be in the top percentile.  But what better way to infiltrate this foreign agenda than through our schools and our children's education?  But the Cosmos Foundation has also forged ongoing relationships with a close-knit network of businesses and organizations run by Turkish immigrants. Some of those founders, as well as school operators, and many of their business suppliers, are followers of Fethullah Gülen.
     This is important to Americans because Turkey’s regression from a secular democracy into an Islamic state may be based on this educational movement that has also taken root in America.  Imam Fethullah Gülen and his Gülen Movement (GM) have had enormous influence in setting the increasingly Islamist agenda in Turkey.  In fact, in Turkey, 75 % of the nation’s two million preparatory school students are enrolled in Gülen institutions. In America, GM runs the largest charter school network in the nation.  When you connect the dots, don't you think all this information is worthy of our scrutiny and our concern?
     And in case you think that the notion of a global caliphate is just more conspiracy poppycock, you should do your research on Turkey.  Turkey has long desired to see itself revived as the mighty Ottoman Empire; and coupled with Erdogan's movement towards making it a strong Islamic state, the global Caliphate could certainly be emerging.  If you're still in doubt, consider this:  In Turkey, college admissions have been changed to favor religious students, the military has been gutted of its secular generals (with one in five generals currently in prison on dubious charges) and women have been routed out of top government jobs. Honor killings in Turkey increased 1,400 percent between 2002 and 2009. Persecution of artists and journalists has become commonplace as opponents are charged with "crimes" like “denigrating Islam” and “denigrating the state.”
     So if you don't think that the construction of this new center in Maryland, which will have five buildings, including a mosque “constructed using sixteenth century Ottoman architecture that can hold 750 worshipers", is a step by Turkey's leader to push his Islamic agenda in America, then perhaps you need to quit being hypnotized by your Iphone and the propaganda machine of the MSM.  Look ... and I mean really look ... at what's going on in this country and around the world.  America is not only in danger of being "transformed", but of being destroyed from within.  I am so glad that I know God is in control, because when I look at where we're headed .....

Isaiah 1:7     "Your country lies desolate; your cities have been incinerated. Before your very eyes, foreigners are devouring your land— they've brought devastation on it, while the land is overthrown by foreigners."

My Daily Struggle

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” --Numbers 20:10-12

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. -- John 14:15

     Forgive me for the dual Scripture this morning, but I have been deeply convicted of late about my obedience to God.  This is a topic that the Lord pursues throughout the Bible, and it should be high on my priority list.  Yet, I am well aware of my failure.  

     Throughout the book of John, Jesus is quoted as saying our obedience to Him and His commandments is the demonstration of just who loves Him.  Furthermore, He says those that love Him will be apparent to His Father, who will also love them.  So, if I really love Him, (as I profess to do) then why am I not tireless in obeying Him?  That is what it means to be righteous!

     But it is not only in the New Testament that we read Jesus's direct exhortations to his followers; we also see this same principle at work in the Old Testament.  And I love to make the connections between the stories of ancient Israel and the same lessons reflected in the life and teachings of Jesus, nearly 14 centuries later.

     In the case of the Old Testament lesson on obedience, we have this story of Moses striking the rock at Kadesh to bring forth live-giving water to the Israelites.  Throughout their time in the wilderness, Moses and the Hebrew people were learning of the importance of believing and obeying their God.  

     Time after time, they had to re-discover the relationship between belief, trust, obedience and love.  They are all connected!  Shortly after their exodus from Egypt they found themselves thirsting and in great need of water.  They threaten to stone Moses, blaming him for their predicament.  Rightfully, Moses goes to the Lord for deliverance, and the Lord tells him what to do ....  "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.”  (Exodus 17:6)  Moses obeys the Lord and the people are revived and given life-sustaining water to drink.  

     Did you catch the symbolism in this simple verse?  God will "stand before" His people, on "the Rock" .... nearly 1400 years later, God will personify Himself in the existence of Jesus, our Rock of salvation.  God goes on to tell us that the people will "strike the rock" and "water will come out of it and people will drink."  This certainly happened when the rock was "struck" (crucified).  Jesus always encouraged His followers to drink of the life-giving water that He offered, and He made it available to all through His saving grace on the cross.  

     That brings us to our first Scripture, Numbers 20:10-12.  You would think that Moses would never forget that first experience of obedience at Horeb.  But, here, at the end of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the generation that learned that lesson has died, and the lesson needs to be retaught.  The people have arrived at Kadesh, and are once again thirsting in the desert, and again, Moses appeals to God for life-sustaining water.  This time, though, God tells Moses to speak to the rock and it will give forth the water they need.  Instead, Moses strikes the rock twice and water gushes out.  

     BUT, there is an important lesson to learn here for Moses ... and us!  First of all, I don't know what Moses was thinking.  He totally goes off course here!  He appears to think it is himself and his brother, Aaron, who are capable of providing the water, and then instead of "speaking" to the rock, as God commanded, he strikes it .... not once, but TWICE!  

     Was he thinking, "I got this, Lord!  You showed me how to do it before, and so I got this handled." Was he depending on his own might, instead of the Lord's?  Did he think, "I struck it before, so this time, I will show these people just how much God can use me, and I'll strike it twice"?  Was he so caught up in his own power that he forgot to listen to God's instruction to "speak" to the rock?  

     If we keep with our comparison of Jesus as the rock, then we can recognize that Jesus had already been "struck" (crucified) back at Horeb, and the water was readily available to all, if Moses had just asked, or "spoken", to the rock.  Instead he struck it twice, in effect crucifying Jesus again!   By being disobedient, Moses lost his opportunity to enter the Promised Land.  And he certainly proved that the Mosaic Law is not the way to salvation; only the life-giving water of Jesus Christ can save.  Indeed, God still provided the water, because He is consistent in showing Himself as the Almighty, and in maintaining His glory.

     So I'm back to my own issues with disobedience.  How many times do I say to God, "I got this, God!  I remember what you told me!"  Yet, I'm not careful to listen to Him; to display my love for Him by following His commandments.  I know that I am still saved, because I am a Believer in Jesus Christ, but I want to be righteous like Him, and that involves more effort on my part .... to listen, to take captive every wrong thought, and to show my love by obeying His every command.  In the end, I know that my righteousness is imputed to me by Jesus's act on the cross, but as my second Scripture notes, I am called to show my love through my obedience.  As the title of this blog proclaims, this is my daily struggle.

     

Are You Buying It?

     Do you ever feel like you're living in a parallel universe?  The evidence is right there before our eyes .... scandals that involve illegal harassment by government agencies; personal freedoms and privacy can no longer be taken for granted; and the overwhelming sense that our leaders are flagrantly lying to us about covert activities.   We've managed to destabilize the Middle East with our ignorant foreign policy and give away our national sovereignty to the UN.  Yet there are those of my fellow Americans who think nothing has changed; we're still rocking along in the "land of opportunity" and believing that the American dream is still alive.

    There are those who have no clue of the threats we face, right here in the homeland.  We are being told that we've won the War on Terror, yet I'm pretty sure that the folks in Boston and London aren't feeling like it's time to celebrate just yet.  In fact, there was a little publicized event right here in Texas over the past few days.
     It seems that an active Hezbollah member had easy access to Fort Sam Houston, where he allegedly failed to disclose his association with the terror group when he applied for a security clearance with the Defense Department (where he was seeking a contracting job).  Wissam Allouche was seen by at least two people at Fort Sam dressed in U.S. military uniform displaying insignias from special forces, in an apparent attempt to fraternize with women soldiers and gain information.  An undercover terrorist unit obtained eight photos from a source showing Allouche during his days with Hezbollah. In them, he's holding assault rifles or rocket propelled grenades, and according to an Army Criminal Investigations agent, was given at least three aliases; one of which meant "god of death".
     But this is the scariest part:  he has lived in the U.S. since 2002, and once owned a local gas station in the suburbs of San Antonio.  I don't want to imply that all Middle Easterners who own businesses in the U.S. have terrorist ties, but I'm also not so naive as to think this is a solitary case.  The War on Terror is over?  Somehow I don't think the end can be implied if only one side declares it.  Just saying it, doesn't make it so!
     Does anyone besides me fear that we are sitting on a ticking time bomb?  No matter how often the Administration says our borders "are safer than they've ever been", I know for a fact that more than impoverished Mexicans looking for a better life are slipping across our borders.  The South Texas border is a virtual war zone; with beheadings, drug cartel murders, and Islamic jihadist literature as evidence of just how much terror still reigns.
     I have had personal conversations with friends and acquaintances who recount their experiences of coming upon unidentified groups of armed men who have shot at innocent citizens, busted through locked gates and terrorized communities.  When calling local law enforcement for help, there have been incidences of blackhawk helicopters swooping in, dispensing with the bad guys, and mopping up the evidence ... no one hears another word about it; and you will certainly never hear it on your national news.
     So while recent polls by Gallup, ABC News and CNN report that one-third of our population thinks everything is OK in the country and that we are "on the right track", I can't help but see the handwriting on the wall.  We know that things are unraveling, both politically and spiritually.  The problems we have in this nation cannot be solved with a Special Prosecutor investigating political scandals, or by appeasing our enemies, or even by solving our economic woes.  And both spiritual and virtual enemies are just waiting for their chance to strike.  All these things are the natural consequences of losing our way.
     I know that we need to return to a reverence for family, faith and personal responsibility.  But I fear that we've allowed our civilization to deteriorate to the point that fewer people recognize the value of these precepts.  And in the meantime Evil has taken hold of the world and we're in the midst of a battle for our very souls.
     I can't escape the universe I live in, but I can damn sure decide to live by my own standards.  I won't be deceived by slick public relations, the culture's latest "must have", or false promises of security.  If that means my world becomes smaller and more selective, then so be it.  I'd rather suffer for staying true to my God-instilled principles, than gain one moment of this world's false hope.

Psalm 73:25    "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."

Just Make Them Move!

     I couldn't believe my ears!  Some political and economic wonks appeared on the panel for Fox News Bulls and Bears program.  They were discussing the tremendous cost of cleanup after the devastation of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.  They surmised that costs to the Federal government would be upwards of $2 Billion.  While giving lip service to the personal costs of those who lost their lives and their possessions, they were more concerned about how to "avoid" these tremendous dollar outlays in the future.
     Among their solutions?  Make Oklahomans pay to live there and rebuild their city, or the equally asinine suggestion, just have the government mandate relocation. After all, they know that this area is susceptible to damaging weather conditions, so why should they be allowed to rebuild when there's a chance this could happen again?  And why should the American taxpayer help foot the bill?
    What?!?  Here are just a couple of the comments:

We've gone beyond the pale here, and we really have to think smart about this, and consider moving these people out of harm's way. Look at California, we have active fault lines, and you can't build a home on an active fault. We have places in Florida; we have places in the northeast where there are repeated hurricanes. Here we have three major tornados in the same basic valley in a ten year period; they've had twenty over the last one-hundred years. I think it's time to do a little reality check and save some lives here.

People have a right to live where they want, but we don't have a right as taxpayers to continue to pay for it over and over again. Let the free market decide. You can't just keep dragging along the federal government and FEMA because you want to live in a place that isn't economically feasible for people to live in.

     So who made these guys God?  Can they accurately predict where the next tornado, hurricane or earthquake is going to strike?  Are they going to declare vast amounts of the American landscape "uninhabitable" because it has suffered a natural disaster?  And what will be the criteria?  Dollar amounts for cleanup .... number of occurrences in a ten-year, twenty-year period?
     These are people we are dealing with!  And these locations involve memories and family history and means of employment and yes, even the loss of loved ones.  And you're going to tell them they have to tear up roots and move somewhere else --- or pay extra to be allowed to rebuild and put their lives back together!  Can you guarantee that wherever you move them, they will not be struck with a similar disaster?  Or would you simply tell them, "Nope!  Sorry, you can't live here any longer.  We don't care where you go .... just not here."
     Once again, I'm seeing the unrealistic expectations of the Elite.  It is not a perfect world, folks!  This life is unpredictable, risky, and uncertain ... at best.  To even contemplate the thought that the citizens of Moore, Oklahoma should be penalized for choosing to live there is insensitive and implausible.
    As for the economic feasibility of living in Oklahoma, I don't think one tornado is going to hurt the healthy rank of the 14th most prosperous state in the Union.  Are you really worried about the monetary ramifications of this disaster?  Or is that, from your high and mighty glass towers, you just can't relate to simple, God-fearing folks?  Do you have the slightest idea of why anyone would think that the heartland of America is worth reclaiming and redeeming?

Psalm 37:29      "The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever." 

Recommendation: Honor Flight: A Movie About The Greatest and The Humblest

 

     In the aftermath of the Memorial Day weekend, I am left with emotions that are so near the surface that tears are a constant threat.  Last Monday evening, I just happened to catch a fleeting comment on one of the talk shows about a film/documentary called Honor Flight.  (Click on the highlighted link to see the trailer... but you better have kleenex handy!) The host mentioned that the film was available on Amazon and I thought perhaps this would be the perfect way to end the day and to pay tribute to those who have served so valiantly on behalf of the American people.
     The commentary on the movie said it documented an organization in Wisconsin who took on a project called "Operation Resolve", which consisted of escorting a group of WWII veterans to see their memorial in Washington D.C.  The cost to rent the movie on Amazon was only $3.99 and I thought it might be a sentimental and nostalgic trip down memory lane.
     I certainly got more than I bargained for.  The movie is told by a man, who like so many of us children of WWII vets, never knew his father's story.  As Joe Dean accurately tells it, these were ordinary men who were, in reality, plucked off America's farms at the age of 18 or 19 to save the world.  They saw the brutality of war like no other generation, and so many of them died on the beaches of Normandy, or on the island of Iwo Jima.  They saw the unspeakable inhumanity of man as they liberated the concentration camps.  They saved Europe from the tyranny of Hitler and stopped the savagery of Japan in the Pacific theater.  Then they came home without fanfare, hugged their mom and dad, and went to work rebuilding this nation.  The photos and mementoes got buried in basements, and the memories and nightmares were tucked away, never to be spoken.

     Joe's own father, he would discover, was a young untested doctor, who soon was elbow deep in the horrors of war in the Philippines.  As he contemplated his father's legacy, he heard of a man in Florida who was renting a plane to take these unsung heroes to see the new WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.... at no charge to the vets.  They had never asked to be recognized, but they deserved to see the monument that celebrates their bravery and heroism.  Joe wanted to do something like that for the veterans of Wisconsin.  When he heard the astounding statistic that we are losing more than 900 of our WWII vets every day, he knew he had no time to lose.
     The film goes on to show his journey of raising money to fund this enormous project .... and Joe dreamed big!  He wanted to be able to fill a 747 with veterans and at no cost to them.  They came home, never asking or expecting anything in return.  And now it was time that we, who inherited a free world from them, give something back in return.
     Besides needing to raise nearly a quarter of a million dollars to fly all the veterans, (who began signing up in such numbers that Joe needed three 747s!), his organization would also need "Guardians" to accompany the veterans, many of whom are wheelchair-bound.  These volunteers are required to pay their own way, but what an honor to accompany a veteran and hear their story and see their reaction to their Memorial!
     Needless to say, the film introduces us to some memorable men; many are quiet and introspective; others are colorful and animated --- all of them will touch your heart.  Whether it is the veteran who spent years in a Nazi prison camp, and weighed only 75 pounds when he was liberated; or the vet who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimers, but wanted to share his heart-breaking memories of Iwo Jima; or the veteran who was fighting cancer, but put off his chemo treatments for what he knew would be his only chance to see the Memorial --- they all were so grateful and moved to see that the nation had not forgotten their sacrifices.  For many of them, this was the first time since WWII that they had been in a plane!

     Then the film shows us the reaction of these veterans as they see the WWII Memorial for the first time, and you can still see the humble character of each man, as they cry for those who are not here to see it with them.  "The ones that didn't come home are the heroes."  You can see it in their eyes; these men have kept silent about their experiences for so long, and it is all coming back in memories of comrades who died in the hell of war; young men that didn't get the chance to live the full lives they've enjoyed.  It's as if they are experiencing this for all those lost on foreign shores.
     But perhaps the most touching aspect of all was the outpouring of love and respect given to them by family members, many who had never heard the stories long buried.  After an exhausting and demanding 20 hours of flight time and touring of the Memorial, the veterans are treated to "mail call" on their return flight home.  Each veteran received an envelope filled with letters and cards made by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, thanking them for their service and telling them they were heroes.  There wasn't a dry eye on that plane... or in my living room.  But that wasn't the end of the story.
     As their plane touches down, the worn-out veterans deplaned to a raucous hometown celebration.  As they shuffled or wheeled through the airport, they ran a love-filled gauntlet of family members, school children and townspeople waving American flags and home-made signs, thanking them for their service and recognizing their contribution to this great nation and the world!
     This is a film that will touch your heart and call you to action.  My own father, who served as a tailgunner in the Pacific, passed away before he was able to see the Memorial in D.C.  But I am sending in my application to be a Guardian and accompany another veteran, before he, too, misses his chance.  These veterans are now well into their 80s and 90s and we don't have too many more opportunities to commemorate their sacrifice and service.  It is a way for me to honor my father and to show these men that I know what they accomplished for the free world.  They truly are THE GREATEST GENERATION!

For information on how you can donate, volunteer, or find your local "hub" for Honor Flights, please visit this link for information.

Galatians 5:13     "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."