The Death of UBL (aka OBL)

Many people know of our American Hero (Sgt Buddy James Hughie) and of Buddy’s being KIA on the border of Pakistan/Afghanistan.  A number of them have asked me how I feel about the recent news of the successful mission carried out by US Navy SEAL Team 6.

Honestly I can’t say how exactly I feek about that.  The recent news from Abbottab, Pakistan has dredged up things in me that I thought I had long ago dealt with.  Anger, grief and a deep sadness.  Strangely, my first thought upon hearing the news was, “How sad for his children and grandchildren.”  Can you believe that?!  Then I felt guilty for feeling anything buy “HOORAY, HE’S DEAD!”  The Number One Terrorist in the world was a hideous human being.  No doubt or question about that.  His mind set and actions has caused untold numbers of people all over the world an unmeasurable amount of anguish.   Still, I can’t help but feel some compassion for his (innocent) children and grandchildren.  I thought, “another daddy gone.” 

All of us who claim the Christ as our Savior… how radically could the world have been changed if that one individual had been captured and also become a follower of the Savior?!  Can you even imagine the termoil that would have caused around the world?   Is it  likely that would have happened had he been caught?  Probably not.  Was it possible?  Well, that depends on who’s god you worship.  If you worship the god that required you to kill people who do not worship the same way you worship than it would never happen.  However, if you worship ad serve the One True God then yes, it certainly was possible.

Am I glad he isn’t around to plan and carry out more terrorit plotws against even more innocentws?  Abolutely!  But I can’t say I’m actually glad he is dead.

I must admit though… I never once prayed for that terrorist.  Not even once.  Sure, I pray (occassionally) for terrorsts.  I pray that they too will come to know Truth.  And if they don’t that they not be able to cause other’s harm before they come to THE Truth.

I know my thoughts and opinions are not very popular.  So what.

As for as releasing the pictures.  I don’t believe they need to be officially released.  They will eventually be leaked by someone.  I don’t need to see them either.  Our lives (my family) have not changed from this week to last.  There will be some other nut-job to fill his shoes that thinks their god needs them to kill for him.  How powerful is your god if he requires you to go around and kill those whom he created?

THE SEASON OF LENT

Much has been written about the Lenten season  I don’t suppose my little ramblings will change much.

In my personal opinion the Church Doctrine of Lent has become a means of allowing many people who say they are Christians to pretty much do as the please throughout the remainder of the year.  However when Lent rolls around these same “sayers” will give up some food group or stop using some technology that consumes a portion of their day or heck, some may even practice acts of benevolence!  But what are these same people replacing those voids in their life with?  During any other time of the year if someone gives up a specific food group what is it called?  It’s a diet.  Right?  If someone takes a break from  technology what is that called?  Maybe a vacation?  If someone practices sporadic acts of benevolence what is that about?  Making the giver feel good about what they are doing?

On the other hand, when people determine that the Holy Spirit (not the calender) is calling them to change destructive patterns of behavior in their life and they obey His leading then there can be true, daily and lasting transformation(s).  The old has passed away…

I think if you approach the season of Lent with the view of “look how bad or slack I’ve been” the enemy has already won.  Guilt does not come from the Lord.  On the other hand, if you approach the season of Lent with the view of  “what daily changes can I make in my life to reflect the teachings of the Savior and too become more Christ-like” then you may be heading in the right direction.

So, are you being lead by the days on a calender or some Church Doctrine?  Or are you seeking The One Who created time?  The former leads to spiritual death.  The later leads to Life eternal.

The choice has always been ours to make.  Choose wisely.

 

SOMETHING IS BASS-ACKWARDS!

 

                                                            

In the United States of America you can be fined $5K and jailed for tampering with an American Bald Eagle egg.

In the United States of America a female may (under the Obama Health Care Plan) be entitled to receive Federal (tax payer) money to remove the baby growing inside of her.

In other words, it is NOT your right to pluck out a bird but it is your right to pluck out a baby!

Dr. Terry Jones

I will not presume to know if you have heard the Word of the Lord as it relates to burning the Qur’an. 

I pray that you are crystal clear on the Message that you have received from Him.  If you are 100% clear that this action is of the Lord,you (of course) must proceed.  However, if this is in fact from the great deceiver then I pray that you receive revelation knowledge to that fact.

Holy Scripture tells me that His ways are Higher than mine and that I can not understand the mind of the Lord.  I surely do not understand how burning a Qur’an is showing those whom do not believe in Christ the Savior that He IS the only way to the Father.  Neither can I understand how stirring up more hatred is His way.  But it is not my “job” to understand what you are doing.  It is, however, my responsibility to pray for those in places of leadership.  I believe that for a season that is you Dr Terry Jones.  Pray I shall.  I shall pray that you have the strength, discernment and wisdom to follow the leading(s) of the Great I Am.  I shall pray that anything short of completely following Him that He will “interupt” you from any and all disobediance by the means He deems appropriate.  I pray that you have longevity of life.

1 Corenthians 8:7-13 speaks of us causing our brothers to stumble.  Additionally in Ezekiel 34 the Lord Speaks of the shephards’ responsibility as it relates to them (the shephards) causing the sheep to “not be fed.”

My family has suffered the deep sorrow that can only be felt through the killing (by a Taliban sniper) of one of our loved ones.  We miss our American Hero terribly.

Please take a moment to read what I wrote of those early days.  A series titled “DEATH AT THE FRONT DOOR” (parts 1-3).  It has been a very difficult journey to love those whom I can not understand. But in the end I have come to bettere understand that He IS in control and He does not NEED (nor require) me to help Him with His plan.

I am to love and pray and when necessary “shake the dirt from my sandals.”

Blessings to you as you remain obediant to His Calling.

http://mssc54.wordpress.com/our-american-hero/

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE

And yes, I know it’s (current) name is NOT The Ground Zero Mosque. Officials originally decided to name the project Cordoba House.  Cordoba, Spain is a  medieval Spanish town that up until the year 711 was ruled by the Roman Empire.  However in that year (711) Cordoba was conquered by a Muslim army.  Due to the violant nature of Islam’s beginning there in Cordoba a public outcry soon rose from the (understandably) ourtaged citizens and the name of the project was then changed to that of a more generic and the seemingly acceptabl title of “Park51,” (the name to coincide with the physical address of the structure) and after all who can argue against a “Park.”

Seeing that our son-in-law, while serving as a combat army medic in Operation Enduring Freedom, was KIA by a Taliban (Muslim) sniper while saving the lives of  TWO MUSLIMS this subject has been a bit difficult for me to remain neutral.  But who says I (or anyone) has   to be neutral in anything they strongly believe in?  One of the sadest things about Buddy being KIA (besides our famly’s obvious life altering state) is that here was a caucasion man who volunteered to go to a foreign land, who was imbeded with the country’s local army, did not speak the local language (well), was of a different race, who was a Christian risking his very life to save the lives of Muslims and was shot and killed by another Muslim.

Back on track -

I will not go into all the specific particulars about this project because, honestly, it is just too difficult to determine what “facts” are truly facts.  That is not the purpose of this Blog post.  Those facts are easily ucovered.  The purpose of this Blog post is for me to state my views on this ongoing controversy… and, of course, to let everyone who wants to take the time to tell me how I am intollerant, an Islomophobe, a racist, uninformed and stupid to do so.  Goat head, I can take it.

IT’S JUST WRONG, PERIOD!

Although the property’s owners have every right under the US Constitution to expand the current Mosque at that location into their Cultural Center they do not have an obligation to do so.   I believe the first obligation of any organization is to best serve their “clients.”  Although a larger facility with many, many more amenities available to their “clients” would benefit them, Park 51′s close proximity to Ground Zero gives the project  an air of  “you must tollerate and accept us.”    That sort of “in your face” attitude (no matter what words you use or how nicely you say it with a smile) just spews of intollerance itself!

When Imam Rauf, his wife Kahn and developer Gamal were asked in a Newsweek interview why the Mosque had to be built there their collective response was, “We want to provide a counter momentum against extremism,” she said. “We want peace, and we want it where it matters most. This is where it matters most.”   Wait, wait, wait – They say here their stated purpose is “to provide a counter momentum against extremism”.  Further stating THEY want “peace and we want it where it matters most.”  “THEY” want.  “WE” want.   Apparrently it matters very little (if at all) what the citizens who were affected most by the murder of their loved ones, friends and fellow citizens want!  What WE (the Muslims) want is paramount!  Go figure.

Here is where it becomes a bit muddled for me.  I think it is easiest to understand the developer’s goal.  He wants to make money.  That is easy enough to understand.  The structure was damaged by landing gear from one of the Muslim Suicide Planes on 9/11 and he wants to sell the property to cash in on his investment.  Understandable.

However, less clear (to me) is the motivation of Rauf, Kahn and their ardent supporters.  If the true goal is PEACE then, to even the dim whitted individual, it should be clear by now that true peace in today’s emotionally and politically charged climate will not soon be found at a site so close to where Muslim Extremist Terrorist took out an entire zip code!

Seriously, where should the main focus be?  IF  the stated goal is  PEACE, should the pressing through of a (peaceful)  faith’s Constitutional Right of Religious Freedom be the paramount goal in such a painful area as this?!  OR could TRUE PEACE be better found some distance away from the proposed “Park 51″ project?  And remember Rauf’s, Kahn’s and Gamal’s stated intentions, “We want to provide a counter momentum against extremism,”.  Their goal is not too better serve their “clients.”  Their goal is to provide a counter momentum against extremism.”

It is my (correct) opinion that while being so adamant and extreme in their current stance as to the Cultural Center’s location, they are failing miserably in their stated goal and purpose.

Once again it appears that there are losers on both sides of this issue.  How tragic for everyone.

Why are Atheists so hateful toward people of faith?

 

I have, upon occasion, visited Blogs written by Atheists.  When I take the time to leave a (respectful) comment I am always blasted by other commenters.  And they don’t approach me with the slightest bit of civility either.  Name calling seems to be one of the most used forms of communicating.

I won’t try to get into all the “whys” that Atheists are so mean to people of faith.  Except that one of the most common themes seem to revolve around the “Look at how religion has played such a role in violence over the centuries.”  I must agree that they do have a very valid point with that argument.    But then again you don’t have to believe in any religious god to have a violent following.

It has been my personal observation that there are “haters” on both sides of this issue.  Like any disagreement each party can become very hateful, vindictive and down right cruel.  I will say that the Atheists have a valid argument when they say that religion’s role in violence over the centuries has been abhorrent.  However, they (the Atheists) are confusing the humans who claim to be followers of their religion’s diety with the founder/diety of  that very same religion.  

Mankind, for the most part, has been selfish since Adam and Eve.  Of course that was not the Creator’s intent.  However, He gave Adam and Eve the ability to choose and they each chose self over loving obedience.  The rest as they say is history.

I’m getting a bit off track here.  The purpose of this Blog post is not to proselytize but to try to determine why it is that Atheists must resort to such crude, hateful and denigrating forms of communicating to people of faith.

Surely no one can expect to “convert” a person by berating them.  It matters not what the subject matter is (politics, religion, alternative life styles) I think it is better to communicate in a polite and respectful manner if you want the other person to try to see the point you are making.

I have some childhood friends who (as children under their parents’ supervision) were full participants in their local churches.  Now, as adults, they could not be further from those beliefs and practices.   I must say that, for the most part, they have been pretty-much respectful of my faith… for the most part.  Of course they tend to throw little jabs by trying to get them in through the back door, so to speak.  I notice them and ignore them.  But it makes my heart ache (proverbially speaking of course).   I wonder how it is that an individual can get from “here to there”.  I do know that the One True God had nothing to do with them taking that journey. 

I suspect that people develope deep-seeded negative views toward God based on how they have been treated.  SOMEONE had to betray or even abuse them to chase them from their former beliefs.

I think it can be much like a dog that becomes so vicious that the only choice is to quarantine it or too put it down.   And NO I am not saying that Atheists should be quaranteened or put down!  That vicious dog was someone’s little puppy one day.  Full of love and promise.  Everyone loves a fluffy little puppy.  But because the puppy isn’t properly cared for as it is growing up it developes some bad habits.  Rather than spend the time to lovingly show this puppy better ways to correct its unwanted behavior it is neglected or even worse abused.  The more neglect and abuse the puppy receives the more ardent it becomes in its beliefe that whenever “those people” come around its bad news.   And after a while the puppy has grown into a dog that knows (based on repeated abusive treatment) that when “those people” come around they are going to make life miserable.

I think there is a significant number of us who claim to be Christian who will have some answering to do about the way we interacted with or fellow created beings when we find ourself at the Bema Seat.

God help us all.

CASUAL SEX WITH ST PATRICK 2011!

Here we go again bastardizing yet another Holy Man. 

When St. Patrick was sixteen years old he was captured in his home land of Britian and taken to Ireland as a slave.   Six years later he excaped and returned to his family.  Imagine, as a teenager spending six years in bondage!  Surely he would become bitter.  Not so!  St. Patrick entered the Church and became an ordained Bishop.  At which time he returned to the land where, as a teenager, he was held in slavery.   There, he served as a missionary to the Protestants.  St. Patrick spent his life telling people about the Savior.  St. Patrick wanted everyone to know the only True way to the Father is through the Son.

So let us all celebrate the legacy of  this Holy Man by going out,  getting drunk on green beer, having casual sex with another drunk person, puke our guts up and say, ” HAPPY ST. PATRICK’s DAY!!!!!!!”

Perhaps there is a special place for those who use the Godly as their excuse to consume mass quantities of adult beverages.  Perhaps there is.  Think about it.

BE THE EXAMPLE YOU EXPECT TO SEE!!

THE DAY OUR LIVES WERE FOREVER ALTERED!

 

Sgt. Buddy James Hughie was shot and killed by a Taliban sniper while (serving as an army medic) rendering aid to wounded Afghani Army National soldiers.  Buddy went to the aid of men who had darker skin, were of a different religion, had different customs and spoke a different language.  He was credited with saving the lives of two of those foreign soldiers.  Perhaps those men are with their children today. 

Buddy was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars with Valor for his selfless acts of heroism that day on a foreign battle field.  He was to rotate home in less than three months to rejoin us, his bride of two years and baby Cooper… age thirteen weeks and three days.

We will always remember the two weeks Daddy Buddy was home for the birth of baby Cooper.  He was up night and day with his little boy, feeding him, changing his diaper and cradling him in his arms as he looked lovingly into his eyes.  I can clearly remember Buddy holding Cooper while looking at his newborn pink skin and saying in an awe-struck, loving voice (almost a whisper) “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for him.

This video still makes me cry when I watch it:  http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6648845

Sgt Buddy James Hughie (right)

Sgt Hughie personally volunteered to go on every mission into the local villages to inoculate local children like these.

Sgt Hughie’s Memorial Service in Afghanistan

NOW FOR A PERSONAL MESSAGE:

Thirteen weeks and three days after this picture was taken….

I remember meeting Buddy for the first time.  He looked me in the eye, shook my hand and had that big smile he was famous for.  At that time we had three daughters that were of dating age so I had done the drill of “meet this guy” a few times.  I knew there was something different about Buddy because I did not dislike him right off.  There was just something about him that was appealing.

Eventually Buddy became more than my daughter’s boyfriend.  He became my employee, he became my friend.  For nearly a year we rode side by side in my work van everyday.  We talked about everything.  I was very fortunate in that I was able to closely observe him in a daily basis.  I was able to watch how he interacted with people, how he treated them and how he did not treat them. 

One day when we sat down for lunch and the waitress brought our food Buddy looks across the table to me and says, “Before we eat I need to ask you something.”  What’s up, I replied.  “I would like your permission to marry Alexis.”  I smiled and told him that of course he could have my permission and that I was happy to move our relationship to the next level.  Buddy was just an old-fashioned guy and I liked that.

Whenever we would see Buddy and Alexis together they always looked so happy and full of life.   Their love for each other was obvious.  He treated her like a queen, always doing all the little things that a young man does when he adores his woman. 

A little over a year after they married Buddy deployed to Afghanistan, Asia.  While he was deployed Alexis moved back in with us.  By now she was pregnant so we converted our diningroom into a bedroom for her and the baby.  Buddy scheduled his leave to coincide with the birth of their baby.  He so wanted to be there for every moment he could with their baby.  You see, Buddy never met his father.  He was determined to be the daddy that he never had.  He was home on leave two days before Alexis went into labor and infant Cooper was born.  I wish you all could have seen the radiance on both of their faces.  The way they looked at each other and infant Cooper is etched into my mind’s eye.  I can still see Buddy feeding Cooper, burping him, changing his diaper, talking to  him and snuggling with him in the bed.

After feeding and changing Cooper’s diaper it’s time for some sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buddy holding Cooper and Carter. 

 

Buddy holding Cooper with Porter.

The man who many others would eventually come to know as a bona-fide American Hero was the man we knew as:

HUSBAND, DADDY and FRIEND.

Our lives are richer because Buddy James Hughie became a member of our family.  He loved us and we love him.  I only wish I could have better appreciated  just how close we all are back then. 

 

Major Nidal Malik Hassan

My father was a WW II veteran who served in the European theater.  He
carried shrapnel in his back from a grenade ’till the day he was buried (ten
years ago).

I am a seven year veteran of the US Navy with a 40% service connected
disability.

Our son-in-law (Sgt Buddy James Hughie) was KIA by a Taliban sniper in
Afghanistan.  Buddy was awarded two Bronze Star medals with Valor and a
Purple Heart medal. In fact after Buddy’s death there was a FOB established
in the area where he was killed and named in his honor, “FOB HUGHIE.”

We currently have a twenty-three year old nephew serving with the 114th MPs
in Mosul, Iraq.

Major Hassan (an army officer serving on active duty) takes the time to pick
out his weapon, fills out the necessary paper work, goes back and purchases
the fire arm, adds a scope to increase his chances of kill shots, goes to a
firing range to make sure he can operate his killing weapon proficiently,
chooses a place where military men and women are massed together, picks a
time of day when those service members will be gathered waiting, gets
dressed in traditional Muslim attire, loads his killing weapon in his
vehicle, drives to his chosen killing field, gets out and begins killing
UNARMED American service men and women while shouting terms associated with
Muslim Extremist Terrorists.

So other than Major Hassan’s US Army officer active duty status what sets
him apart from other terrorists?

Our family has sacrificed a great deal for our country.  Our family will
continue to sacrifice, serve and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America.

Please do not spit in our face and tell us you are giving us a bath.  We
know the difference.

Prayer, obediance and benevolance

As I have looked over many blogs I have noticed a common theme in some.  A sense of almost despair.  Perhaps even feeling helpless.

I have been in that season more than once myself.  The thing that has helped me  most is conversing with my Lord.  I say conversing because a conversation involves more than just talking and reading a list of all my ales.  Conversing involves listening too.  Perhaps listening more than speaking.  

I think some (maybe even most) people don’t get that part of prayer.  Either that or they may spend so much time telling the Lord what He already knows that they leave very little time in their busy schedule to be still, quiet and listen.  Listen with their heart.  Listen needing to hear.  Listen expecting to hear.

When I read of Jesus the Christ and His times of prayer I see that His chosen times were most often in the early morning or late evening.  I think that is because the noise of the world is mostly silenced at those times.  I could be wrong but that’s what I think.  He even gave His disciples a specific time for them to watch and pray with Him.  One hour. 

Could we not each tarry one hour with the Lord?

It is also my personal belief that prayer should be audible.  Sure God can read our thoughts but Holy Scripture is replete with verses about the power of the tongue (the spoken word.)  Hey if nothing else think of praying out loud as letting the enemy know just how defeated you know he already is.

I was speaking with a friend of mine some time ago.  She and her husband were befuddled because I slipped by their home and left a sum of cash in an envelope on their door. 

Every once in a while I believe the Holy Spirit speaks to me to do such things and when I am certain of the amount and timing I simply obey.  I figure I would rather err on the side of benevolence than hording.

However, this whole concept was foreign to them.  They couldn’t think of accepting it.  Sure they believe in “Karma or whatever you want to call it.”   Sure she prays too.  Of course it’s usually when things are in dire straights but she prays.  So I want to say to her (but I didn’t) “Look you have a son, what if the only time you could get him to talk to you was when he was in dire straights…. and you had absolute power to put him in those dire straights; What would you do to get him to talk to you?”  Seems simple to me.

They each finally understood and grudgingly accepted the money.  She called me back a couple of days later and said that her husband had asked her; “Hey, wasn’t that the exact amount we spent last summer to by that lady an air conditioner?”  Yep it sure was.  Then she called the very next day.  “You won’t believe what happened today!”  Hubby’s aunt that never had any children died and they just got a check for exactly ten times the amount I had given them.

I have a computer program QuickVerse 6.0.  I found this and thought it fit nicely.

6. GIFT AND THE GIVER

For the real good of every gift it is essential, first, that the giver be in the gift—as God always is, for He is love—and next, that the receiver know and receive the giver in the gift. Every gift of God is but a harbinger of His greatest and only sufficing gift—that of Himself. No gift unrecognized as coming from God is at its own best: therefore many things that God would gladly give us must wait until we ask for them, that we may know whence they come. When in all gifts we find Him, then in Him we shall find all things.

George Macdonald, Second Series, “The Word of Jesus on Prayer”