Why the Future is Bright?

Tags

family, friends, life, love, moments, time, treasures

Why the Future is Bright? (click here)

From calendar page to calendar page….
the years are blinks and all these moments are our lives.

Advertisement

The HEART of the Matter

Tags

celebrations, Christmas, dingy manger, Expectations, family, Hanukkuh, heart, LONELINESS, meaning, The HEART of the matter

Have you been to the mall? Are your decorations up? Is your baking done? Did you get your Christmas or Hanukkah cards in the mail? How about all the Christmas music on the radio, tired of it yet?

Last weekend, I had to pick up some chocolate chips for my daughter. She wanted to make some fudge. I stopped at the local grocery store and went directly to the baking aisle. It was overwhelming!(I am NOT one who enjoys the art of shopping, so I am typically in and out within 15 minutes!) I headed down the baking aisle in search of a deal on what I needed, spotted the rascals on the left side of the aisle, and stopped momentarily to compare prices. A young woman with long black hair, glasses, and a scowl was behind me where I stopped. She looked up at me (and I’m only 5’5″) and with a sardonic smile said, “Yes, every time you stop, the whole line has to stop!”

Well, I only had stopped ONCE! I kind of looked at her in disbelief, and looked back at the shelf. When she didn’t make a move to circumvent me, I looked back at her and she told me to, “get f*’d!” I smiled politely and said, “same to you!”

As I finished my shopping, though, my heart broke for her and the thousands like her who have been totally engulfed by our secular, anti-goodness society. It’s not a new thing entirely, but godlessness has become a national past time in OUR time. Only recently, has it become socially acceptable to be selfish, self-centered, and unkind. It is everywhere now. (Watch drivers, if you have any doubt.) People think only of themselves, their agenda, their needs and are completely unaware? or unconcerned? with others. “Screw you, lady! You’re in MY way!”

The HEART of the matter is GOD! Many people, whether alone or surrounded by others, are lonely these days. GOD, whomever we understand Him to be, is relegated to a distant dark corner of our pseudo-sophisticated society only to be recognized as the source of some fringe lunatic. Darkness increases while those holding the Light remain well shielded by the protective bushel of their/our choosing, and we wonder why society is breaking down.

The attitude of this one young woman shocked my heart, my reality. She was not suffering from some obvious disease, but her heart is sick. Mine, too, struggles under the burden of perfection portrayed by TV and movies … the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah celebrations always show scores of happy family members laughing and embracing one another with tables loaded with boundless delicacies and truckloads of gifts for everyone. I don’t live there, do you?

• But the dingy manger? THAT I can relate to! Our best laid plans sometimes fail.
• The hardship of that journey to Bethlehem with Mary at 9 months pregnant? THAT I can relate to … discomfort is a big part of life!
• Alone in a strange town, crowds of people milling around yet, no place just for them. THAT I can relate to! Surprises! Unexpected journeys!
• Supplies insufficient to the task at hand? THAT I can relate to! Making due with what’s on hand is daily life, and it requires faith in something or Someone bigger than me!

At this point in time, the media (TV, movies, magazines, etc) sets our expectations for more than any of us realize. Today’s movies always show the various holidays … PERFECT! There may be a bit of a struggle to get there, but perfection always arrives. LIFE is not perfect! It is not orderly or predictable. It is our daily challenge to make order out of chaos.

The moral of this story? When the Christmas lights are unplugged, when the Hanukkah gifts are given, when the parties are over and the cookies are eaten, what is left? GOD is there in my emptiness and unfulfilled expectations, and He’s there in yours, too! He didn’t stay in that dingy manger, and the oil has still never run dry! He is not necessarily where we expect Him to be, that’s all. Though we have tried for centuries to package Him and present Him all neat and tidy, He reminds us constantly that HE is GOD, and we are not!

Look for HIM as you celebrate … or as you endure whatever hardships and discomfort is your life. He is THERE!

Sometimes, God is … GOD!

Tags

blessings, challenges, difficult life, faith, God, GOD’s love, hardships, Laura Story, life, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience, purpose, trials and tribulations, trust

Many people quote this verse at various times and sundry situations in their lives. It is a vital truth! “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Is 55:9 CEV) God’s priorities in our life are different than ours. He uses anything and everything we ALLOW Him to use as teaching tools for our growth in Him. That means He uses our prayers and answers them as He sees fit. It means he uses Nature to teach us His Ways. He uses other people, knowingly or unknowingly, to work His purpose deeper into us. There is nothing God cannot or will not use, as we pay attention. But it is His purpose He is working out in us, not our own!

We generally seek our own comfort, ease, or wealth. God, on the other hand, is changing us (with our cooperation) into the likeness and image of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 3: 17-18 CEV) Our Spirit is regenerated and new, but we live in corrupt bodies with unhealthy and unholy desires and habits. We all want our own way! We pray for healing, for smooth roads through the “wilderness,” for easy answers to life’s deepest questions, and we panic or revolt when we don’t see the responses we seek. Right?

There are times when God gives us exactly what we want or need. There are also times when, thankfully, God doesn’t give us what we ask for because He knows where He is taking us and what He is building into us. We seldom know.

Remember Paul’s story? He was a passionately religious man raised in the height of the traditional Jewish knowledge and traditions. So fervent was he that he chased down and murdered new Believers until God confronted him personally, like He does each of us. In that moment, Paul saw Jesus as his Messiah, and he never looked back. ACTS 9: 1-22 CEV Some believe Paul was visually disabled for the rest of his life. Paul gained a deeper revelation of God’s grace. “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” (2 Cor 12: 1-10 NCV)

Years ago, I was a single soldier stationed in Alaska. It happened that I was the ONLY single girl in the small Christian fellowship on the base. I remember fervently praying for a Godly husband. A single man began to show interest, and we dated a few times. One night while praying again for “my husband,” thinking of this young man, I felt God say to me, “You can have this man if you wish, but He is not my BEST for you.” WHOA! The ball was in my court! Reluctantly, I yielded! I wept for days after I explained my feelings to the guy. We continued to be friends, and a few months later, he reunited with his fiance. Last I heard, they were living happily ever after!

We can pout and throw our tantrums, but if we are truly surrendered to Christ, we must acknowledge that He knows best. His ways are best. His plan is best. When we are securely nestled under the shadow of His wing, we can hear His heartbeat of devastating love for us and know that everything … EVERYTHING that we encounter comes through His fingers and is laced with His love to accomplish the purpose He intends. Even the traumas and tragedies that we each face at times, will produce good fruit as God redeems the situation.

Don’t hear me saying that God creates bad or difficult situations for us. That is not what I’m saying. He permits them for His purpose. Some difficulties are simply a result of our own unhealthy attitudes or behaviors, and we are simply “reaping” what we “sowed.” Some hardships are simply part of living in this corrupt world. We also have a very real enemy but, GOD is in CONTROL, right?

Do you love God? Are you “called according to His purpose?” If so, then trust that even the most painful and challenging situations that face us are meant to build the character of Christ into us, and for that, we can be eternally thankful!

MEDITATE on THIS: Psalm 139

That the World My Know …

Tags

Christ's love, GOD’s love, love, real love, unconditional love

Command, not request!

This has been a busy few weeks in my little world. Included has been a deep heart issue: LOVE!

I’m a mom, and there is no more satisfying and challenging position (career) in life (except perhaps fatherhood!) My kids are all adults, but that doesn’t mean I stop being their mom. In fact, it seems as they grow and mature, so does my role as their mom! The hard part is redefining LOVE in accordance with my role as mom to adults!

As believers, we are COMMANDED, not requested, to love one another as Christ loves us. That is quite a tall order! First, we have to accept that Jesus loves us more than words can express, more than any human can possibly apprehend, more than our finite brains can even imagine. That is LIFE! But accepting Jesus love as truth is just the beginning! We are to love one another the same way … even FAMILY … even the absolutely unlovable!

This revelation shook me! It seems like common sense, but … how many of us really treat family with the kind of love Jesus pours into each of us continuously? I tend to try to control my kids’ lives! I confess! I am always right, and of course, I know better then they do what is best for them, right? 🙂 It was a “loving” smack across the face when I realized I was putting MY expectations, MY dreams, and MY plans onto them. THAT isn’t Christ’s love!

Strangers are much easier to love! We don’t have to see them often and deal with their imperfections routinely. Family we do! We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us … in spite of our bad habits, inherent weaknesses, bad choices, and frailties!

Not so easy … but if we practice appreciating the best in each of our family members, our friends and co-workers, maybe … just maybe they will see Jesus in us!

WHAT’S HE BUILDING IN THERE?

Tags

Building, character, choices, Creator, goal, Inspiration Monday, life, source, treasure, values

WHAT’S HE BUILDING IN THERE?

Out of the abundance of the heart, my mouth speaks,
From all that Life has poured into me thus far:
The good, the difficult, the fun, and the not-so-much fun;
The true riches of this world are incorruptible.

Out of the abundance of the heart, my mouth speaks,
Nuggets of golden wisdom wrapped in pain,
Compassion born of struggle, and patience from grief,
Still joy and rejoicing come freely in the morning.

Out of the abundance of the heart, my mouth speaks,
Paper lies unfold and fall away along with phantom pain,
But gratitude flows unchecked, persistent, and random,
Like the flight of a butterfly through a bountiful garden.

What is the treasure that germinates in your heart?
What dream or trial or endless rage?
What is the Source or Goal of your heart?
What is our Creator building deep inside you?

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good;
and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Luke 6:45 NKJV

Check out Inspiration Monday @ BeKindRewrite’s place!

Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage, VOL 4, 2013

Tags

Anne Bradstreet, Cotton Mather, George Washington, God's design, ingratitude, society, William Bradford

The Reverend Robert Hunt gives thanks with other English settlers at Cape Henry, Virginia in April 1607.

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore
the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men
more than those of the United States.
Every step by which they have advanced
to the character of an independent nation
seems to have been distinguished
by some token of providential agency …”

George Washington, First Inaugural Address

When the first boats touched ground in the New World, their immediate response was GRATITUDE to GOD. Whether Jamestown or Plimouth, they were grateful for safe arrival for those who survived.

Their focus was not on their losses but on their success. Even through the hardships of those first years, the settlers were compelled to acknowledge the hand of a Sovereign God in their early literature, poetry, and the education of their young. The literary works of Early Americans like William Bradford (1590 – 1657), Gov of Plymouth Colony, Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), Poet & homemaker, and Cotton Mather (1663-1728) Clergyman and scientist, clearly reflect the prominent place given to God in early American culture.

It was understood that …

without God’s intervention in the crossing, none would have survived.

Without His provision through that first and subsequent winters, none would have flourished.

Without God’s sovereign help, the colonies of the New World would never have made it to the Revolutionary period, to break free from Britain, and to thrive in this experiment of self-rule and grow into the most generous, most gracious, most compassionate, yet most powerful nation on earth.

This was God’s design. The impoverished are not capable of offering material help to others, but the FREEDOMS born in AMERICA, created a society that was highly productive, creative, and innovative. These freedoms allowed individuals to create wealth which was shared generously with many other nations making AMERICA the giving-est nation in the world! God blessed America with vast resources so we could share with a needy, oppressed world, not join them in their oppression!

Time issue of April 8, 1966

BUT somewhere along the line, we started taking credit for our success. Prayer was removed from schools, and God was declared DEAD. Those who worship God were told to keep it to themselves and not “force” others to endure such silliness.

The “capstone” was the legalization of murder … the murder of unborn children. A scan through history will reveal that NO CULTURE that killed its young survived long. Respect for LIFE is a vital moral, ethical, legal, and social marker of the health of a nation. Today, not only are we aborting unborn children, but there is a HOT debate about the killing of babies born alive. Many are simply okay with this because … well, who wants to allow unwanted (or inconvenient) babies to live? Many also believe euthanasia, (the PC label is “mercy killing” – but it is killing nonetheless) is acceptable.

How quickly America forgot her heritage, her roots, her raison d’être. How quickly we allowed our history to be perverted and twisted into fiction that serves the political good of those in power. How quickly we blame God when tragedy strikes, but how quickly we push His wisdom away when it doesn’t FEEL good.

God is surely NOT DEAD, and He is not blind to the ingratitude the fills our airways, our markets, and our homes. The sobering thing is that He will not wait forever for us to return to Him … He is very much involved in what is happening in AMERICA today. The hardships in our nation and our world are supposed to turn us to Him, to remind us that He is bigger than we are, smarter than we are, and knows BETTER than we do how to “save the world!”

When was the last time you said THANK YOU to GOD for anything?

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Our Nation’s Godly Heritage ~ BELIEVE!
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 1, 2013
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 2, 2013
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 3, 2013

Jack Hayford: Developing Christlike Character

Tags

Christian character, virtue, WE THE PEOPLE

Real, authentic Christian character is formed when you surrender to Christ and allow His piercing work to grow and enrich you, so that the Spirit flows.

How do you define Christian character?

Hayford: The thing that makes the difference in Christian character is that we are answering to God foremost. Christian character is character lived out in the reverence for and respect for God, as opposed to simply honoring man. The “fear of God” is the biblical terminology for it. The fear of God is the starting place, but what it boils down to is the willingness to die to our own agendas, to die to our own conveniences.

Our Military sacrifices friends, family, and home to go to foreign lands on our behalf. It is not easy, but it is necessary. It is … sacrifice!

Genuine Christian character involves sacrifice, and that is something that the culture will not require of us. That is something that only faith will bring us to. We are called to be servants — not just honest people, but servants. Jesus cast it in the most severe terms. He said, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10, NIV).

Why are we so easily enamored with charisma and so slow to cultivate character?

Hayford: People respond to charisma because a person with charisma is able to communicate to people the fact that they are worth something. People with charisma nourish hope. But character has to accompany charisma. A person needs not only affirmation but also discipline of mind and spirit.

Charisma can satisfy people’s desire for affirmation. Character, according to Romans 5:4, produces hope. But character also seeks to cultivate the kind of disciplined life that bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I hear leaders all the time who talk about high dreams — God has this great destiny for us, and He is ready to bless us and to bring joy into our lives. That’s true, but it needs to be coupled with a tenacious faith that depends on and relies on God’s faithfulness.

How do we practically apply “putting on the new man” that Paul talks about in his epistles?

Hayford: It boils down to committing ourselves to a lifestyle of repentance. It has to do with defining repentance in terms of an immediate willingness to stand corrected on a moment-to-moment basis in our walk with Christ, as the Holy Spirit deals with us. The Holy Spirit dwelling in us will affirm our alignment with God’s ways, and He also will automatically, immediately signal us with an internal sense of His conviction. Our response to that—which is what I mean by repentance—literally means a change of mind, a change in course. We make a mid-course adjustment at that moment. We are in the middle of a sentence, and if we are wrong, we stop. It is not some climactic moment of “full sanctification,” but rather a process—the moment-to-moment, sanctifying work of the Spirit.

So, in other words, we must count on God’s help to be holy men and women?

Hayford: Redemption’s process in our lives has been made possible through what Christ has already done through His death, burial and resurrection. I’m banking on what He has done through the Cross. Self-effort isn’t sufficient for a holy life.

I’ve read many books about what is often called “the Christ life,” and some outstanding authors have had a great influence on me. The issue that I keep addressing is this: “How can I make this real in my life?” The fact is, we can’t be “done” without going through the “doing.” It’s like somebody telling us he is going to put $100,000 in our account to pay for our college education, and our saying, “Since we have this money, how can we act educated today?”

Building character requires challenges and difficulties that must be met, jobs that must be done whether we want to or not.

We can’t. We have to go through the process. The key is to rest in the knowledge that in Christ, our “bill” is paid; to rest in the certainty that everything we need is covered through our relationship with Christ. This changes the approach to our quest for character, holiness and godliness. Instead of an effort to verify that we’re doing sufficiently well, we rest in faith in God’s sufficiency. This is pivotal, because to the degree that we think we can achieve a godly lifestyle apart from reliance on Christ, we eventually will become self-righteous. Christianity for such people becomes a club of the godly elite rather than a fellowship of the growing and the learning.

In forming Christian character, how much depends on the role of the Spirit and how much on the cultivation of godly disciplines?

Hayford: Human nature will tend always to want to keep control, but abandonment to the Holy Spirit is the fountainhead of real release. It is the joy that becomes our strength. Lots of people become uneasy when we talk about surrender to the Holy Spirit. The whole concept of opening up to the Holy Spirit’s fullness and joy is so much more important to believers’ lives than often is seen.

Biblically focused evangelicalism tends to substitute the nurture and feeding of the Word for the fellowship and enabling of the Holy Spirit. There is no substitute for the Scriptures, obviously, but there is Spirit-led praise and worship from which we draw strength through the joy of the Lord. This strength enables us to live out the character of Christ and gives us perseverance for the journey. We need times of rejoicing in His presence as well as times of waiting.

CONTINUE READING …

Jack Hayford, founding pastor at The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, Calif. and the founder and chancellor of The King’s College and Seminary, is known for his keen insights on living for Jesus Christ. His seminar at The Cove, “A New Time and Place” will be streamed free of charge Friday at 7:15 p.m. on The Cove’s website

BLOGGER’S RESPONSE: I’m posting this for several reasons, but the greatest reason is as a response to the Democratic party’s attempt to remove GOD from the party platform. Though representatives are justifying and back stepping carefully, the mere THOUGHT that a major political organization might present a platform removing GOD from our midst, is appalling!

Not long ago, Bill Clinton was President of the UNITED STATES. He got caught with his pants down, literally, and the nation held its collective breath to see what would happen. Nothing happened! Oh, sure there was an meek attempt to “impeach” (whatever the heck that means these days), but life went on. WE-the-PEOPLE even warmed to the idea, in a sick, perverted kind of way. It was as though the thought of the POTUS in “sinful” activities somehow justified our own lapses in judgment.

Sadly, the nation seems to take on the character of the President. Look around! What kind of “character” do you see? I see hate, divisions, jealousy, envy, greed … and as remarkable, I also see a mockery of all that is Godly. We can continue to put on this “character,” or we can turn the tables and demand our representatives reflect US, our morals, our “character,” our goals and ambitions.

Clint Eastwood hit on a monumental precept in his brilliant monologue. YES, BRILLIANT! The government, the elected officials, are supposed to be a reflection of the American people. They are our representatives, and as such, they speak for us. Or at least, that’s what we hired them to do. But for decades, we have been absentee bosses! We checked in on election day, voted … maybe, and then went out way. Now, these EMPLOYEES we hired, have outlived their usefulness – most of them. They certainly no longer REPRESENT WE-the-PEOPLE!!! They do their own thing, represent their own best interest, and rarely, if ever, give a thought to US … their BOSSES! It’s PAST time WE-the-PEOPLE engage in the political system our Founder’s established, educate ourselves on the Founding Documents, and take responsibility for SELF-GOVERNMENT!!!

WE-the-PEOPLE must regain, re-establish CHARACTER in ourselves so that we recognize it in the men and women we elect to lead us and govern us through the next decade and onward. Yes, that means cleaning up our own act, working toward VIRTUE, pursuing honorable and desirable traits like HONESTY, FAITHFULNESS, TRUSTWORTHINESS, CITIZENSHIP,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

RELATED READING:

CHARACTER

Immoral Beyond Redemption

Morality ~ Rules of the Strong Heart

The Devaluing of Morality in America

Combat medic shares story about ‘just doing his job’

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Warren Williamson Jr., a medic with the 18th Medical Operations Squadron, sits in his “office”, an ambulance, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2012. Williamson was recently awarded the Non-Commissioned Officers Association Vanguard Award, for his heroic actions that saved the lives of others during a deployment to Afghanistan last year.

“We were used to getting hit,” said Staff Sgt. Warren Williamson Jr., a medic with the 18th Medical Operations Squadron. “But that day…that day was different.”

Of the 300-plus combat missions he was a part of while deployed last year, Williamson recalls a day he will never forget, a day he could have lost everything, but gained so much more.

For his second 365-plus day deployment to Afghanistan, he was sent to a forward operating base located in the Laghman Province of Afghanistan to be the sole medic for a group of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment, Bravo Company.

“I was the primary doctor, the sole provider there,” said the Chesapeake, Va., native. “Dismounted elements wouldn’t leave the truck without the doc, without me. I escorted all dismounted missions away from the convoy.”

Williamson said the day began like any other.

“That morning we headed out on a mounted combat patrol to a green district, meaning there wasn’t a whole lot of Taliban activity,” he explained.

“The mission was for our team to provide security for a few civil engineer officers to check out a courthouse in a local district that had been rocketed by the Taliban,” Williamson continued. “At the same time, I was to meet with the district hospital medical provider there and discuss some medical issues.”

The courthouse mission lasted roughly two hours. They parked the convoy inside the district and dismounted. The engineers walked the perimeter of the district, and measured it, ending the fairly smooth mission around 10 a.m.

“We were getting ready to mount back up and continue on for my mission to meet the doctor,” he said. “But first we had to maneuver our trucks so that they weren’t blocking traffic. So although some soldiers were in the trucks, most of us were still on foot, guiding the trucks and pulling security.”

“As we were prepping to move the trucks, we were caught off guard,” he continued. “Before we knew what was happening, an Afghan had gotten on his motorcycle, road right through our formation, and detonated a vehicle-borne IED, instantly killing himself, injuring my guys and killing a bunch of his.”

More than 10 people were killed that day.

“We were knocked unconscious. I’m not sure how many of us were on the ground, to be honest, but when I looked up, it was just…chaos. I can’t describe it any other way.”

He and his team were no strangers to getting attacked. But, Williamson said he knew this time was different. It was the worst they’ve experienced in the six months they had already been deployed.

“When I came to, the dust hadn’t even settled yet and all I could hear were screams and a group of my guys dragging one of the soldiers closer to me screaming ‘doc, doc!’,” explained the medic that spent two years training with Air Force pararescuemen. “As they got closer I got to my feet and helped get that soldier to the safest place I could to treat his wounds, because at that point we had started taking small arms fire as well.”

Behind a small dirt wall, shielded from incoming fire, Williamson did everything he could to keep his soldiers alive.

“I used gauze and bandages, gave him drugs and fluid, and right after I applied a tourniquet to his arm, that’s when,” he paused, this time with a deep breath. “I heard them calling for me again.”

“So I put on the tourniquet and ran over to my first sergeant, who I thought was dead,” he remembered. “I didn’t see him breathing, I didn’t see him yelling or screaming. I just saw huge holes in him. He was laid out.”

Williamson knew he had to take action, and quick. But as they started taking fire once again, Williamson did the only the only thing he could and hurled his body over his first sergeant, knowing he had to protect him.

“I didn’t know where the attack was coming from and it was just my first reaction,” Williamson humbly explained. “It’s my job to keep those guys healthy.”

“But we found a way to move my first sergeant to a safe place and I got to work, trying to save this man’s life,” he continued. “I used everything I had –QuikClot, tourniquets, bandages, drugs, and every last drop of the fluids I had. All I could think was ‘stop the bleeding, save this person’s life’.”

“Gosh, it’s been just over a year ago, now, and I’ve only ever told that story once,” he said.

The incident lasted about 10 minutes. Williamson said when he looks back on this event it feels like he’s watching an “old slow-motion movie reel,” but at the time it, it seemed like mere seconds.

Thanks to quick thinking, dedication and selflessness, not only did every soldier survive that day, they survived every mission, and returned home to their families. > > > READ MORE

The Distinction between Government and Society

Tags

Democracy vs Socialism, morally conscious society, Personal responsibility, Socialism

“Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain.”
― Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

May I ask you to please read the above quote … again? So when we-the-people object to a socialist government mandated health care system, and it is touted that we are ready to push gramma over the cliff, the distinction between society and government is null. When the socialists find more and more uses for our money, more and more programs to exercise increased numbers of regulations, and more and more excuses for undisciplined spending, they have failed to yield to the society’s need for self-action.

What Socialism fails to comprehend is the very nature of mankind. Humans need a PURPOSE to survive. Without that purpose, we shrivel and die. There is no reason to get up in the morning. No reason to take care of myself or anything I “have.” If I have earned nothing, CAN earn nothing, and I am given a house, but don’t know how to make it a HOME, will I really TRY? No, no reason to work, no reason to care, no reason to try. If I receive the same compensation whether I work or not, why would I work? If I own the same property whether I purchase it with “my” money or the state provides it, why would I work at it?

Just because I do not want Obamacare, does that mean I want to throw gramma over the cliff? Heck no! I just want her to make her own choices with her health care professionals. Just because I don’t think the government is the best source for regulating education, doesn’t mean I want everyone to be uneducated. Rather, I’d like the NEA and others educators to validate individual differences rather than trying to make us all clones! Just because I dislike the degree to which the government is now reaching into my livingroom & bedroom, doesn’t mean security measures are not necessary. However, more responsible, more effective, and more cost effective methods are available but beyond the political veil. The choices for how we live our lives from beginning to end do not belong to the Government! How I live is MY choice! How I fund my life is my choice! how I manage my funds is MY choice … and if I mess up, um … guess what! It’s MY fault, but indeed, that’s what church emergency funds or the Red Cross or Salvation Army funds are for! To bail me out in an “EMERGENCY!” But that’s also what friends and family are for!

Government cannot take the place of a morally conscious society. There is a vast difference between increased taxes to support increased numbers of Americans on welfare and food stamps, and individual Americans donating time, energy, and money to help their neighbors. The former is Socialism and removes the individual responsibility to “CARE” from society and places it on government! Which is more effective? NO QUESTION! The individual who donates time at the homeless shelter, the family that helps at the food bank, the teens who distribute blankets and coffee under the local “bridge,” the teacher who donates her time teaching adults to read … and many, many, many more! THESE are the compassionate ones in our nation. A Government cannot be “compassionate!”

“Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness…” Paine argues that government is put in place to protect us from our baser selves.”

Thomas Paine, Common Sense

“It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns [or taxes] to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral, self-righteous, bullying laziness.

“People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.” ~ Penn Jillette (a prominent atheist)

Now, if only other clerics, other leaders, other Americans would apprehend this simple TRUTH!

Meet the Wonderful “Wings Over Wendy’s” Crew

For the past ten years, a group of military veterans have met each Monday morning to share a bite to eat and swap war stories at a Los Angeles-area Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. Initially starting with just two veterans — both airmen who served in World War II — the “Wings Over Wendy’s” (WOW) crew has grown to include more than 100 veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces.

On a recent Monday, WOW member Jan Begg (pictured, left) shared a poem he had written about his comrades. We heard about it when friend Karen Vegtel sent us the following email describing the scene:

One of the W.W.II veterans who attends the Wings Over Wendy’s meetings wrote a poem about the group. It is outstanding and I would like to share it with you.

The veteran’s name is Jan Begg. Jan uses a rollator to get around, so he rolled up to the front of the room. Then he proceeded to read his poem after releasing his grip on the rollator. It was a struggle for him to stand, unassisted, but he persevered and read in a loud strong voice.

When Jan finished his poem, we clapped and gave him a standing ovation.

“THE MEN WHO MEET AT WENDY’S” by Jan G. Begg

THERE’S A GROUP THAT MEETS AT WENDY’S
TO VISIT DAYS OF YORE
TO REMINISCE AND TELL EACH OTHER
TALES ABOUT “THE WAR”.

THEY COME HERE EVERY MONDAY
MOVING CAUTIOUSLY AND SLOW
BEFORE YOU LAUGH OR CRITICIZE
THERE’S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW

ONCE, WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER
THEY CHOSE TO TAKE A STAND
TO OFFER EVERYTHING THEY HAD
TO PROTECT THIS BLESSED LAND

THEY FOUGHT THE GERMAN NAZIS
AND THE JAPS WHO BOMBED OUR FLEET
‘TWAS A LONG — HARD — BRUTAL JOURNEY
ERE WE BROUGHT THEM TO DEFEAT

THESE MEN, NOW OLD AND FRAGILE
DID ALL THAT THEY WERE ASKED
NO MATTER WHAT THE CHALLENGE
THEY WERE EQUAL TO THE TASK

THEY FOUGHT AND BLED AND SUFFERED
THROUGH HISTORY’S CRUELEST WAR
BUT THEY WROTE A SHINING CHAPTER
IN OUR PATRIOTIC LORE

THEY STRUGGLED IN THE HEAVENS,
ON THE OCEAN, IN THE MUD
AND THE FREEDOM THAT SURROUNDS US
WAS PAID FOR WITH THEIR BLOOD

IF YOU LOVE OUR PRECIOUS COUNTRY
WITH ITS DEMOCRATIC LIFE
‘TWAS THESE OLD MEN WHO SAVED IT
IN THAT LONG AND COSTLY STRIFE

YOU’LL NEVER SEE THEM SWAGGER
IT’S NOT THEIR WONT TO BRAG
BUT ONCE, THEY OFFERED UP THEIR LIVES
FOR FREEDOM — GOD — AND FLAG

WHEN OUR NATION NEEDED HEROES
WHEN THE BATTLE FLAGS UNFURLED
THE MEN WHO MEET AT WENDY’S
WENT OUT — AND SAVED THE WORLD!!!!!

Several of these dear veterans are regular volunteers at Operation Gratitude. We are grateful for their brave service to our country and their dedication to support today’s brave warriors.

Read more about the “Wings Over Wendy’s” crew in this wonderful LA Daily News story: Veterans Wing It at West Hills Wendy’s. We are honored to know these men!

(Photos credit: Karen Vegtel — thank you, Karen!) MORE PICS HERE!!!