OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD

 

Because of the shootings in the United States at grocery stores, schools, and churches just in May 2022, my thoughts are clanking together in my brain.  My soul is tormented by the lawless deeds I see and hear.  I grieve for the people. I'm praying! But now what can we do? On the one hand evil is abounding more and more but on the other hand caring people are working as hard as they can to do good. My one thought is that the U.S. should protect schools just as they do in Israel.  My second thought is to then send out ambassadors from https://rachelschallenge.org/  to all the schools and communities.  Above is a video of Rachel's brother describing how as a result of losing his sister, friends, and classmates in Columbine 15 years ago, he speaks at schools about what kids can do to prevent things like this.  May we all use the power of the Holy Spirit to bring peace and to pray for Jesus to come quickly!

Revelation 22:11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 

ARMED FORCES DAY

 

EWU Class of 1966

Today I received a card from my high school classmate, Lynn, wishing me a happy Armed Forces Day.  I was delighted to find out that he was an USCG radioman 2nd Class.  Tonight I will be attending the Spokane, WA Lilac Festival Armed Forces Day parade as my granddaughter will be marching with her high school band.  I was privileged to march in this parade in 1965 as a member of the ROTC Sponsor Corps.  Above are the Sponsors who ran for Military Ball Queen in 1966.  Below is an article which explains the purpose of this day. 

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By Joseph Andrew Lee
When is Armed Forces Day?

Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May, and it is the day Americans celebrate their military. In 2022, it falls on Saturday, May 21.
What is the difference between Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day?

Unlike Veterans Day (previously observed as Armistice Day - the end of World War I), which honors those who wore the cloth of our nation at war; and unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died wearing the cloth of our nation at war, Armed Forces Day is the proper day to honor all of the men and women currently serving, as well as those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom.
Who created Armed Forces Day?

Armed Forces Day was created on August 31, 1949, by then-Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The event stemmed from the Armed Forces’ unification under one Department of Defense by then-President Harry S. Truman when he signed the National Security Act into law on July 26, 1947.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR ARMED FORCES BY DONATING TO THE USO TODAY.
Why do we celebrate Armed Forces Day?

According to the Department of Defense, originally, Armed Forces Day was a type of “educational program for civilians,” one in which there would be an increased awareness of the Armed Forces. It was designed to expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life. It was a day for the military to show “state-of-the-art” equipment to the civilian population they were protecting. And it was a day to honor and acknowledge the people of the Armed Forces of the United States.
Who is honored on Armed Forces Day?

Armed Forces Day is the day to honor all who currently serve and all who have served, both active and former, in the reserves, National Guard or on active duty. In his February 27, 1950, proclamation announcing the establishment of the holiday, President Truman wrote:
“I invite the Governors of the States, Territories, and possessions to issue proclamations calling for the celebration of that day in such manner as to honor the Armed Forces of the United States and the millions of veterans who have returned to civilian pursuits.”- Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States.Share onTwitter

While some may be tempted to point out that the U.S. Coast Guard does not technically fall under the Department of Defense when not at war, the National Security Act of 1947 was very specific about the term “Armed Forces” in the definitions section 606 paragraph eight, which reads, “The term ‘Armed Forces’ means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.”
How do we celebrate Armed Forces Day?


Service members hang an American flag in Kabul, Afghanistan. | Photo credit Tommy Fuller/DIVIDS

In the same proclamation, Truman called upon fellow citizens to “display the flag of the United States at their homes on Armed Forces Day and to participate in exercises expressive of our recognition of the skill, gallantry, and uncompromising devotion to duty characteristic of the Armed Forces in the carrying out of their missions.”

One exercise expressive of that recognition is volunteering with or donating to the USO, one of the few congressionally-chartered, nonprofit organizations committed to serving active-duty military and their families.
When was the first Armed Forces Day?

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950. The annual Army Day Parade held in Washington, D.C., during the first week of April was replaced by an Armed Forces Day Parade held during the third week of May.



Soldiers marching in the first Armed Forces Day Parade on May 20, 1950. Seated in the first row of the reviewing stand, from left to right: Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Early, Admiral William Leahy, President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson (slightly behind Truman), General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Secretary of the Army Frank Pace (slightly behind Eisenhower). Courtesy photo.
Why is Armed Forces Day in May?

Armed Forces Day lands right in the heart of National Military Appreciation Month, which begins May 1 with Loyalty Day and includes Public Service Recognition Week (a week to celebrate government employees), VE (Victory in Europe) Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and Armed Forces Week (the third week in May), leading up to Armed Forces Day. The month of military appreciation concludes with Memorial Day, a day to honor our fallen.

Loyalty Day, May 1, is an interesting holiday. It was actually the original date selected for Army Day by the Military Order of the World War, and it was intentionally designed to offset the popular Communist Worker’s Day celebrations or “May Day.”

However, according to an article in the April 1938 edition of the Daily Press from Newport News, Virginia, at the 1928 National Convention of the Military Order of the World War, “it became evident that it would be advisable to hold Army Day celebrations on some day other than the first of May. The consensus seemed to favor April 6, the anniversary of America’s entrance into the World War, as the most appropriate date.”

When a consolidated Armed Forces Day was created in 1950, the celebrations were shifted to the month of May. It wasn’t until March 18, 1961, that President John F. Kennedy declared the third Saturday of May to be a federal holiday.

The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DOD). The appearance of DOD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

-This story was originally published in 2020. It has been updated for 2022.


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Every day, America’s service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice.

GHOSTED

 

Evy, Grace, Roberta, 1950 wedding for my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jack

I was ghosted by several boyfriends.  In other words we were dating and they suddenly disappeared out of my life.  Actually two of them broke up with me in person.  The other two I learned 40 years later had been dating other girls while they were dating me.  So far only one of those men is still alive.  One died of lung cancer, another one died in a plane crash, and another one fell off a cliff to his death.  One of my college roommates quipped at our 40 year college reunion, " Chris, you better never break up with Bobbi because you may loose your life!"

I now understand that these boys realized that I was not ready for marriage and that I would not be willing to be the helpmate to them that they needed.  This article, which quotes a 1906 book, revealed to me that I came into marriage with all the wrong ideas.  

I was fortunate to have been in many weddings.  First I was a flower girl for my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jack.  Then I was a bridesmaid for my best friend Nancy and her husband Charlie.  I was a bridesmaid for my cousin Janet and her husband Alf.  I was a bridesmaid for my brother Jay and his wife Martha.  I was a bridesmaid for my brother Davy and his wife Sue.  But even though I was in all those weddings I have never understood what marriage was all about until I read "Two Lives Blending into One Life."

Colossians 3:18-19 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

STARVE THE PHANTOMS

 

Auntie and Beanie's homes.  Photo by Chris.

We live in bewildering times.  Those of us who were born after 1947 have never lived through a pandemic, wars in Europe, homeless and drug addicts camping on sidewalks, mentally ill people turning to violence, riots, burning of cities, terrorist attacks, criminals released from prison, and many other tragedies happening in these days.   Those of us who are growing older will have to deal with dementia whether with our own or someone else's.  

So when I saw this article by Steve West from World magazine I thought this piece on--  "Starving the Phantoms" would be helpful to rid our minds of fearful thoughts. He calls for each one to "Word and prayer. A focus on Jesus. But there is one other thing: remembering His faithfulness in life events. Going back to the memorials we set up in memory for when God delivered us from some peril of body or mind. When in His good providence He allowed suffering and yet drew us to Himself and delivered us in the midst of it. The Psalmist repeatedly remembered God's past faithfulness..."

Another way to keep your mind stayed on God (Isaiah 26:3-4) is to think about good things. My mom told me that the mental health verse in the Bible is Philippians 4:8-- so at times I like to listen to music, sing, smell gardenias, eat fresh baked bread, watch old movies, read, laugh, dance, and visit with family and friends.  

I like to think about my great aunt and great uncle,  Auntie and Beanie's, simple life style.  When we visited them in Eastern Washington I marveled that they only had one room houses.  I thought that was my ideal life.  Later, after living on a boat, I realized that I needed head room and indoor plumbing. 

Now our little four year old grandson, Noah, finds joy from counting and drawing telephone poles and wiring.  Here is one drawing he created the other day.

By Noah

For Mother's Day he drew a puzzle for me.  He knew I would like trees, flowers, and telephone poles. He calls them "T's."

By Noah

  Another way to avoid falling into depression is to humble oneself-- Proverbs 16: 18 says "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." ( Think King of Babylon-- Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:24-25.) The movie "The Madness of King George" explores mental illness caused possibly by pride.  The main plot of the movie was trying to cure King George from mental illness. What saves the king, at least for a time, is the materialization of a man named Willis (Ian Holm), who has revolutionary ideas about mental health. During a period of George's greatest confusion, the serious face of Willis swims into view, along with his portentous words: "I have a farm . . ." On that farm he hopes to shock the king into sanity, and the king is shocked, all right: George: I am the king! Willis: No, sir! You are the patient! The battle of wills between these two strong men is the centerpiece of the movie, and hugely entertaining. Willis, whose approach seems to embody some of the theories of modern psychology, tries to break the king down so he can build him up again. The king resists, aghast that a commoner would so treat the royal personage: "I am the verb, sir! I am not the object!" Holm is perfect for the role - stern, unyielding, and dotty.It is only when strings are pulled to reunite the king with Queen Charlotte that the pieces fall into place. Reduced from grandeur to a sad little old man, he finds that his mind has cleared, and "I have remembered how to seem myself." The sequence during which he pulls himself together and astounds Parliament is triumphant, and funny. (I thought it was an encouraging movie.)

But there are so many today who are struggling with mental or physical illness. There are many different causes.  Each person is unique.  I pray that they will be able to focus on Jesus and be encouraged as we wait for Him to come and set up His kingdom here on earth, Revelation 21.

Philippians 4: 8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."