One of my favorite Civil War heroes is General Thomas Jackson, best know as “Stonewall” Jackson. He was given the name “Stonewall” at the first major battle of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run, because he stood like a “stone wall” in the face of a Union counterattack. His life story is well told in the movie Gods and Generals.
Jackson was highly disciplined, courageous and a military genius. He was also known for his fierce loyalty and devotion to Robert E. Lee. On one occasion, Lee sent a message to Jackson to come by his headquarters and visit with him concerning a certain matter the next time he was in the area.
The next morning, Jackson rose well before dawn, riding by horseback through a heavy snow and arriving at Lee’s headquarters just as the General was having breakfast. Lee expressed surprise on seeing Jackson so soon, commenting that his message did not convey a spirit of urgency, but rather asked Jackson to report at his convenience. Jackson responded, “Sir, your slightest wish is my greatest command.”
When our children were small Patti and I wanted them to understand the importance of obeying God. We taught them the scriptural definition of obedience – obedience is doing exactly what I am asked to do, when I am asked to do it, with the right heart attitude. Delayed obedience, incomplete obedience or begrudging obedience is actually disobedience by God’s definition.
Jesus communicated the importance of obedience like this, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Obedience is one of the clearest evidences of a sincere love for God. My brother, is your obedience to Christ a complete obedience? Is it timely? Is it done with the right heart attitude? If not, join me in asking God to form in you a heart of absolute obedience to Christ.
Shoulder to Shoulder,
Gregg
Showing posts with label soldiers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soldiers. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, December 14, 2006
The Christmas Miracle
In his book, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, Stanley Weintraub tells the true story of one of the most amazing events to occur during wartime. In 1914, the armies of Europe had become bogged down in a new and horrible type of warfare, called trench warfare. Over hundreds of miles, millions of men lived in trenches, trading fire with enemy soldiers as close as sixty yards away. During the first months of the war, the fighting had been fierce, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.
On Christmas Eve, a group of German soldiers placed some candles on small trees and set them on the edge of their trench. One German soldier began to sing the familiar German carol, Silent Night. Soldiers on the British side responded by singing other carols. Hand made signs offering a truce began to appear up and down the line. Soon men began to venture out into “no man’s land” to greet each other and exchange gifts of chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, and tobacco.
It was also a time to bury the dead who up to this point had been unreachable in “no man’s land.” At one point, soldiers from both sides stood around a fresh grave and quoted the 23rd Psalm together. As Christmas day dawned, the truce began to spread up and down the lines. At one point a British soldier pulled out a soccer ball and the Germans proceeded to beat the British in a pick-up soccer game.
Unfortunately the truce was short lived. Within days the war was back with all of its ferocity and violence. Though three more Christmas’s would come and go, there would be no more truces. By the time the war ended in November of 1918, 8 million would die and another 21 million would be wounded.
A relatively unknown Scottish poet Frederick Niven, writing about the event in his poem, A Carol from Flanders, summed up the sentiments of millions in his day and ours:
O ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day
Shall be as Christmas Day.
My friend, in the midst of the frustration and business of life, may the Lord grant you a peaceful and restful Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. May the joy of Christ and the hope of the gospel be yours in abundance.
Shoulder to Shoulder,
Gregg
On Christmas Eve, a group of German soldiers placed some candles on small trees and set them on the edge of their trench. One German soldier began to sing the familiar German carol, Silent Night. Soldiers on the British side responded by singing other carols. Hand made signs offering a truce began to appear up and down the line. Soon men began to venture out into “no man’s land” to greet each other and exchange gifts of chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, and tobacco.
It was also a time to bury the dead who up to this point had been unreachable in “no man’s land.” At one point, soldiers from both sides stood around a fresh grave and quoted the 23rd Psalm together. As Christmas day dawned, the truce began to spread up and down the lines. At one point a British soldier pulled out a soccer ball and the Germans proceeded to beat the British in a pick-up soccer game.
Unfortunately the truce was short lived. Within days the war was back with all of its ferocity and violence. Though three more Christmas’s would come and go, there would be no more truces. By the time the war ended in November of 1918, 8 million would die and another 21 million would be wounded.
A relatively unknown Scottish poet Frederick Niven, writing about the event in his poem, A Carol from Flanders, summed up the sentiments of millions in his day and ours:
O ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day
Shall be as Christmas Day.
My friend, in the midst of the frustration and business of life, may the Lord grant you a peaceful and restful Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. May the joy of Christ and the hope of the gospel be yours in abundance.
Shoulder to Shoulder,
Gregg
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Loyalty, devotion and courage
Flags of Our Fathers, the new movie directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the book by the same title, opens in theaters this weekend. The movie and book tell the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most ferocious and costly battles of the Second World War.
On February 19, 1945 70,000 Americans, consisting mainly of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions of the Fifth Marine Amphibious Corps, including supporting sea and air units, attacked the Japanese defenses on Iwo Jima island. The 22,000 Japanese defenders had been preparing for the invasion for two years and had determined to fight to the death since they were defending Japanese soil for the first time.
At the end of the month long battle, the Americans would suffer 26,000 casualties, including more than 6,800 deaths. Almost all of the 22,000 Japanese defenders died due to their fanatical loyalty to the Japanese Emperor. One of the most famous pictures in the history of photography came out of the battle when photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped a shot of six marines raising the American flag on Mt. Suribachi.
For a generation of Americans, the name Iwo Jima became synonymous with heroism and valor. The story of Sgt Charles A Bateman of Cooperstown, NY, became one of hundreds of incredible stories of courage. Bateman was slammed by a 320 mm spigot mortar. He woke up on a hospital ship with a tag on his big toe that said "Concussion." He later wrote, "Didn't look serious to me so I jumped ship, went ashore and rejoined my unit. So, I was missing then, officially MIA. Sorrowfully, a telegram saying that got to my family. You can imagine their relief when they found the message was wrong."
I find incredible inspiration in Sgt. Bateman’s commitment to his fellow Marines and to the cause of victory. Some men would have used this kind of injury as a “million dollar wound,” an opportunity to stay out of harm’s way. Evidently this never occurred to Bateman, who thought only of his duty to his comrades and country.
In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Scripture uses the analogy of military service to illustrate the Christian’s devotion to Christ, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Men, we are at war, a spiritual war. We can expect hardship, attack, perhaps even wounds from time to time. We must deal with difficult emotions of fear, loneliness and frustration. This is what soldiers do. May our commitment to Christ and our band of brothers bear the same marks of loyalty, devotion and courage.
Shoulder to shoulder,
Gregg
On February 19, 1945 70,000 Americans, consisting mainly of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions of the Fifth Marine Amphibious Corps, including supporting sea and air units, attacked the Japanese defenses on Iwo Jima island. The 22,000 Japanese defenders had been preparing for the invasion for two years and had determined to fight to the death since they were defending Japanese soil for the first time.
At the end of the month long battle, the Americans would suffer 26,000 casualties, including more than 6,800 deaths. Almost all of the 22,000 Japanese defenders died due to their fanatical loyalty to the Japanese Emperor. One of the most famous pictures in the history of photography came out of the battle when photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped a shot of six marines raising the American flag on Mt. Suribachi.
For a generation of Americans, the name Iwo Jima became synonymous with heroism and valor. The story of Sgt Charles A Bateman of Cooperstown, NY, became one of hundreds of incredible stories of courage. Bateman was slammed by a 320 mm spigot mortar. He woke up on a hospital ship with a tag on his big toe that said "Concussion." He later wrote, "Didn't look serious to me so I jumped ship, went ashore and rejoined my unit. So, I was missing then, officially MIA. Sorrowfully, a telegram saying that got to my family. You can imagine their relief when they found the message was wrong."
I find incredible inspiration in Sgt. Bateman’s commitment to his fellow Marines and to the cause of victory. Some men would have used this kind of injury as a “million dollar wound,” an opportunity to stay out of harm’s way. Evidently this never occurred to Bateman, who thought only of his duty to his comrades and country.
In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Scripture uses the analogy of military service to illustrate the Christian’s devotion to Christ, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Men, we are at war, a spiritual war. We can expect hardship, attack, perhaps even wounds from time to time. We must deal with difficult emotions of fear, loneliness and frustration. This is what soldiers do. May our commitment to Christ and our band of brothers bear the same marks of loyalty, devotion and courage.
Shoulder to shoulder,
Gregg
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