Veteran's Day

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~




It's the Soldier, not the reporter
who has given us the freedom of the press.

It's the Soldier, not the poet,
who has given us the freedom of speech.

It's the Soldier, not the politicians
that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the
Pursuit of Happiness.

It's the Soldier who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

What inspired me today

I haven't written anything in a while because graduate school is like a round house kick to the head from Chuck Norris. However late tonight I was listening to a documentary on Netflix and an inspiring quote from D.T. Niles was given.

"Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.”

This touched my very soul because it spoke truth. We are all beggars before the throne of God. Only in and through his grace are we found worthy. There is no other name given in heaven or earth whereby men can be saved other than Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is where all men can find the bread.

The Incomparable Christ

Almost two thousand years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life.
This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively.
Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His childhood exile.

He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and He had neither training nor formal education.
In infancy, He startled a king; in childhood, He puzzled doctors; in manhood, He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.

He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.

He never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the country could not
hold the books that have been written about Him.

He never wrote a song and yet He has furnished the theme for more than all the songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
He never practiced medicine, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors
far and near.

Every seventh day the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes wend their way to worshiping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.

The names of the past proud statesman of Greece and Rome have come and gone.
The names of past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the name of this Man abounds more and more.
Though time has spread two thousand years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives.

Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.

He stands in Heavenly Glory, proclaimed of God, as the living, personal Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

A Creation Story

In the beginning was the word, and the word was God. In the beginning was God and all else was darkness and void, and without form, so God created the heavens and the earth. He created the sun and the moon, and the stars, so that light might pierce the darkness. The Earth, God divided between the land and the sea and these He filled with many assorted creatures.

And the dark, salty, slimy creatures that inhabited the murky depths of the oceans, God called sailors. And he dressed them accordingly. The had little trousers that looked like bells at the bottom. And their shirts had cute little flaps on them, and they wore funny looking hats. He gave them long sideburns and beards, nicknamed them "squids", and banished them to a lifetime at sea, so normal folks would not have to associate with them. To further identify these unloved creatures, He called them "petty" and "commodore" instead of titles worthy of red-blooded men.

And the flaky creatures of the land, God called soldiers. And with a twinkle in His eye, and a sense of humor only He can have, God made their trousers too short and their covers too large. He also made their pockets oversized, so that they may warm their hands. And to adorn their uniforms, God gave them badges in quantities only a dime store owner could appreciate. And he gave them emblems and crests and all sorts of shiny things that glittered, and devices that dangled. (When you are God you tend to get carried away.)

On the 6th day, God thought about creating some air creatures for which he designed a Greyhound bus driver's uniform. He discarded this idea during the first week, and it was not until years later that some apostles resurrected this theme and established what we now know as the "wild blue yonder wonders".

And on the 7th day, as you know, God rested. But on the 8th day, at 0530, God looked down upon Earth and was not happy. God was just not happy! So He thought about His labors, and in His divine wisdom, God created a divine creature. And this He called Marine. And the Marines, who God created in His own image, were to be of the air, and of the land, and of the sea. And these He gave many wonderful uniforms. some were green, and some were blue with red trim. And in the early days, some were even a beautiful tan. He gave them practical fighting uniforms, so they could wage war against the forces of Satan and the evil. He gave them service uniforms for their daily work and training. And He gave them evening and dress uniforms.....sharp and stylish, handsome things, so they may promenade with their ladies on Saturday night and impress everybody. He also gave them swords, so that people who were not impressed could be dealt with accordingly.

And at the end of the 8th day, God looked down upon the Earth and saw that it was good. But was God happy? No! God was still not happy. Because in the course of his labors, He had forgotten one thing. He did not have a Marine uniform for himself. But He thought about it, and thought about it, and finally satisfied Himself in knowing that, well.......................not everybody can be a MARINE!!!

Author Unkown

The Star Spangled Banner

I believe that all three verses of the National Anthem be sung at sporting events and other venues. The last two verses are more powerful then the first. I humbley hope and pray that God will continue to watch over our great nation and guide us with his gentle and sturdy hand.

I can't get the video to post to the blog but please take the time to follow this hyper link. Its worth the time.

Star Spangled Banner

I love the Marine Corps

“Some people spend their entire lives wondering if they have made a difference in this world. The Marines don't have that problem.”

To my fellow Marines I simply leave you with this

The Bear

My dad sent me an email with this in it and I wanted to share it with you. While in this clip there is not a line of dialog it had me glued to me seat watching. I hope you enjoy this clip from "The Bear Film," by Jean Jacques Annaud

Taught my first class

Today the Judge was gone on business and he left me to teach the class. This was my first time teaching other college students and I have to say the experience was fun. We talked about the events leading up to the revolutionary war and we also spent about ten minutes before the lecture discussing universal health care and Hugo Chavez's comment pertaining to the United States and Hatti.




The students seemed to grasp the idea of why the colonists were getting more and more upset with the government of Great Britain and also what parallel the colonists angst over taxation without representation and if it has anything to do with the present.



We spent some time talking about the Boston Massacre and about the colonist's anger over the actions of British Government, Governors, Judges and other officials. We also talked about the British perspective regarding the American Colonists.





Overall I had an enjoyable time and hope that I get to lecture again. I liked it.