The Cost of Independence

I just finished watching Band of Brothers for the first time.  Band of Brothers is an HBO/MAX miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg that follows a regiment of paratroopers through WW II.  Ironically, it was released on 9/9/2001, just two days before 9/11.  There is also a local connection in that the Band of Brothers were trained in our backyard, Toccoa, GA.  The series is widely believed to be accurate to the actual events, and several of the servicemen were interviewed, with those interviews being used to set up each episode.  The 10 episodes take you from Normandy, to France, to Holland, to Belgium, to a German concentration camp, to Hitler's outpost, Eagle's Nest, in Bavaria, all following the same regiment.  The violence throughout the series is gruesome.  But I am sure it was nowhere near as gruesome as the actual events.  49 of  the 360 men were killed and many more injured.

The personalities of the men in the company were all over the map, just like the rest of the world, but many were leaders that put their personal needs aside for the betterment of the company.   However, I see every one of them as a hero for being willing to endure the trauma of the war to stop the oppression, aggression and mass anihilation by the Nazi's, that if left unchecked, would have certainly changed the world we know for the worse.

As we come up on Independence Day, I am more thankful for the sacrifice of our servicemen than ever before.  If you haven't seen Band of Brothers, it is streaming on MAX and Netflix.  If you have seen it, you may want to watch it again.  There is also a podcast with the producers and actors which accompanies each episode.

Happy Independence Day.

Pirate Plunder

 

For the past 9 summers, scalawags have descended on Lake Hartwell to enjoy the bounty of their hard work from the previous year.  Regrettably, one Captain Hook, has sought to spoil their celebration by stealing their treasure.  The scalawags begin a relentless pursuit to find Captain Hook and recover their rightful plunder.   No stone is left unturned, tracking him by land and boat.  Other activities include crafts, tubing, a limbo contest, cliff jumping and lunch on the scalawag  dock - and that was just day one.  This year 11 scalawags were old enough to attend, and the oldest have been promoted to senior scalawag status.  6 of them come from my bloodline, and the other 5 from the bloodline of some close friends.  I believe I have reported this in the past, but these three days are some of the most exhausting, but three of the most important days of the year for me.  Isn't that how it usually works?  For some video coverage from yesterday, check out my facebook page.

Acts Like Him

I am reading through Acts now and came across the account of Stephen's short time on earth.   After Jesus' death, the disciples are busy spreading the story of His death and His resurrection.  The physical needs of the people saving others and those being saved were growing exponentially, and someone needed to be responsible for distributing food to all of them.  Stephen was chosen to lead this important ministry, but Stephen was also known for his unquenchable desire to tell people about Jesus.    The rulers of the area were threatened by his words and many wanted him dead.

Even in the face of hate and danger, he continued to proclaim the good news.  Stephen was dragged from the city and stoned to death, becoming the first known martyr as a follower of Jesus.  His final words were "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do now hold this sin against them."  I pray that I will someday have an ounce of Stephen's courage.

Standstill

I'm not very good at sitting still (or standing still).  And if I am sitting still, the television is probably on.  Even if it is only on in the background, it is there.  I have been encouraged by multiple people that I respect to find time to sit still in the quiet and focus on who God is.  When I do that, I have felt renewed and at peace.   I listened to this worship song this morning for the first time.  I love this prayer put to music: "I breathe you in. Come fill me Holy Spirit with your mighty rushing wind.  Flood me with Your living water.  Rush through me now 'til my soul overflows."  The idea of inviting the Holy Spirit inside me until I am so full that it overflows to others is a beautiful word picture.  I have so far to go.  Thank God for his patience with me.  Now, let me sit in silence and invite Him in.  I hope you will do the same.