Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Poisson dans le sable

RLB post.

Fish in the sand. For those in need of translation.

Much of the joke in the military community has been:
For Sale: WWII French rifle. Never fired, dropped once.

I thought it funny. It plays to the stereotype. On my last all expenses paid trip via Uncle Sam, I met quite a few Frenchmen that don't drop their weapons at first threat. In fact their training and determination is quite awesome. An interesting note of interest is that their troops take their families with them. They live in some of the ugliest places on Earth. It definitely reduces the sexual temptation of their troops. AWESOME CONCEPT! It leads to all kinds of great things like integrating with the society.

That's all a side note. The experience with those Frenchmen made me remember the family I stayed with for a week while in high school. It was a divorced mother with three daughters. They were wonderfully hospitable. The people of a different country shouldn't be judged by the politicians representing them. They are like you or me. A Christian has more in common with you independent of nationality than a similar nationality feminist.

What got me thinking about this is a comment about not serving in the military as a Christian. If men are willing to defend your country and keep the evil of the world out while your politicians screw things up, thank those men. Even if they are French, English, German, ...whatever. If you live in a country that allows you to be a Christian, thank God. If you read history, you will realize how unique your position is. It can go away in a heartbeat. Ask yourself who you want in positions of authority within the military if the shit really does hit the fan. I do not wish for revolution/chaos. It is a bloody road. I pray for God's provision and guidance for me and my country.

Matthew 8:13

The Faith of the Centurion

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A5-13&version=NIV

...a soldier in the time of Christ.

Matthew 27:54

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27%3A54&version=NIV

...another soldier. Played by John Wayne, BTW.

3 comments:

  1. A Christian has more in common with you independent of nationality than a similar nationality feminist.

    That's a good point.

    But you have to admit this is kind of funny:

    http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/01/french-troops-push-further-into-mali-desperately-try-to-surrender/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Perhaps the writer was thinking of Laurence Vance and his opinions. Thought provoking, though i disagree with his support for dispensationalism.

    Many well intentioned men join up. I was one of them. Was in the army reserve for twelve years and finally quit three years ago. Vances writings played a part in that.

    The us is a mature empire in decline. The military is a key element of the welfare/warfare state. Us foreign policy generates hate. Killing civilians and bombing by remote control will do that. And with habeus corpus suspended, terror tuesdays will come home to domestic soil.

    Your liar in chief distrusts the military.
    http://voxday.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/uneasy-lies-head.html

    How long until your first domestic peace keeping ssignment, i wonder.

    - an observer

    ReplyDelete
  3. I speak from a historical perspective. I have not properly developed a defensible position to eloquently argue for military involvement.

    I know any successful nation needs a military to defend its right to exist. How that military is used and how it is manned are separate issues from whether or not one is needed. Just as the Milwaukee County Sheriff recently showed that decent men are in law enforcement, soldiers can and should aspire to be such inspiration in their field.

    I do not recommend someone join the military if they are doing so only for the current people in charge. There isn't a single former president without his faults. I am the only perfect politician I know. The rest fall short.

    ReplyDelete

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