Going Home?

The top U.S. commander in Iraq "has tentative plans to reduce U.S. troops levels in Iraq by about 30,000 by the end of the year", CNN reports.

Link:http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/26/iraq.main/index.html

German Coast Guard

A hilarious video of a "German Coast Guard" guy trying to help a ship is at http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/commercials/German_Coast_Guard_2/?c=&p=47&y=875

Cherynobyl's Legacy --
20 Years Later

Slate has a very sad and disturbing slide show of photos from Chernobyl:
http://www.slate.com/

Easter and the Military Don't Mix?

"ON Easter Sunday Christians commemorate Christ's resurrection. Yet the Government chose the holiest day in the Christian calendar to stage a military parade in Dublin. Even Patrick Pearse did not start the revolution until Easter Monday as he and the other rebel leaders had great reverence for Easter Sunday," opines a reader at the Irish Examiner.

Link:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/pport/web/opinion/Full_Story/did-sgV3ovtUyM336sg7OWirIStPSk.asp

China Bans Snoring Soldiers

A new Chinese military regulation bans chronic snorers from joining the armed forces. Many a soldier or sailor around the world would jump for joy if their own nation's military would do the same!

Link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-04/24/content_575223.htm

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS

excerpts from an article by LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER,Ph.D., author of "On Killing."

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."

This is true...the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another...most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

...The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.

...Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.

... In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

Frontline Forum

"The Frontline Forum is an alternative channel for compelling stories from those now wearing boots and carrying rifles and not comments or those endlessly forwarded unattributed 'true' stories that always seem airbrushed," writes Michael Yon. "This is a place for those deployed in harm's way to tell real stories about the ground situation.Our goal is for frontline information to break through and be heard. We hope that over time, a more comprehensive and accurate picture of what is happening on the ground can emerge."

Link:
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/flf/

Quotes to Note:

Are You Well-Armed?

In "Praying with the Psalms", Eugene Peterson writes, "The heart well-stocked with God’s word is like a well-armed arsenal. Confident in the strength of its weaponry, it is fearless in the face of attacks from without and insurrection from within."

Was the Resurrection a Lie?

Apr 14, 2006 by Chuck Colson

"Can you keep a secret? If you can, you’re pretty unusual, because a lot of people can’t. Especially if it’s the kind of secret that—if exposed—could get them in major trouble.

"...that little quirk of human nature [the inability to keep a secret], believe it or not, gives us one of the strongest proofs we have for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just think about the situation Christ’s disciples were in after He left them. Here was a group of peasants, powerless, up against the most powerful empire in the world. Possible prison time was the very least of their worries. They knew that torture and execution could be in their future if they refused to stop preaching the name of Jesus Christ.
But they couldn’t stop.

"To a man, they kept talking about Christ’s life, death, and resurrection to anyone who would listen. None of them would deny or retract their story...What would inspire men to suffer and die for a belief? Only one thing—the absolute certainty that their belief was true. Who would die to protect a lie or a hoax, especially if he knew it to be a lie?..."

Full article: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/column/chuckcolson/2006/04/14/193605.html

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen, Indeed!


"Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" ~John 11:25-26~

The risen Christ...takes on the countenance of all races and earth can hear him in his own tongue. ~Henri De Lubac

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. ~Martin Luther~

Christian General, 3 Others Cleared of Charges

A military investigation cleared four Filipino generals, including one outspoken Christian (Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani, of election fraud.

Link: http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl103994.htm

Hating America

The BBC has an interesting article about anti-Americanism; however, the comments that follow are even more insightful. Here are three samples:

I'm an American living in Belgium and it shocks me to see that Americans probably receive more "racist" comments in Europe than the immigrants we so often read are being discriminated against. My grandfather fought here in WWII and sometimes I think of the irony that it is their freedom he secured than makes me feel so insecure in Europe.Charles, Brussels, Belgium

I am married to a British national and did a posting with the Canadian High Commission in London from 2000-2004. I suffered verbal abuse on a few occasions when people thought I was American. It got to the point where my husband asked that we not talk on the Tube into London and I wore a Canadian Maple Leaf lapel pin. Pam Saunders, Singapore


I would agree that in general Americans are a loathsome, naive, petulant bunch, but then the fact that we in Britain allow ourselves to be so influenced by them makes us 10 times worse.Craig Eastman, Liverpool, UK

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4881474.stm

Easter Greetings from Canada's Military Christians!

We've received this message from the international liaison of the military Christian fellowship of Canada:

"Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

"He is Risen! The MCF of Canada joins with you as we remember the incredible love that God has for us and the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus as we prepare for Easter celebrations. We join with you in rejoicing His resurrection and the promise of redemption and salvation that He offers us.

"All of us extend warm greetings to our family around the world. We especially lift up in prayer all those who are separated from families and friends during this Easter celebration.

"We pray that God's love shines brightly in this dark world, and that all people may come to know Him and acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour. While we are undeserving, Christ makes us worthy. Pray that the world will praise Him and bear witness to His love. He is risen indeed!"


To learn more about the MCF of Canada visit their website at www.mcf-canada.ca

Fake War Photos

"...the daily downloads of news photos include some that are staged, fake, or so lacking in context as to be meaningless, despite the Western media's best efforts to separate the factual from the fictional," reports the National Journal: http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0410nj1.htm

A Prisoner's Easter

An ACCTS associate told us about a chaplain who described to him "one of the most unusual Easter Sunday services imaginable. While on initial operations in Baghdad with his unit, he was suddenly asked to go to an undisclosed location to do an Easter service. Upon arriving, he was led into a dungeon. Apprehensive, not knowing what he was getting into, he followed with some understandable reluctance. He was led into a room where there were close to 20 Iraqi prisoners being held. It was only then that he was told that these men considered themselves Christian in belief.

"He conducted a short service and had sufficient communion supplies for those there. What he described could have been taken from the book of Acts, for these men wept with joy, hugged and kissed him and thanked him repeatedly for bringing them this Christian service."

This Easter season, let's remember to pray for all our imprisoned military Christian brothers and sisters -- whatever their nationality or reason for imprisonment -- asking that they may know the freedom and hope of Christ, despite their circumstances.

The Media and Holy Week

Mainstream media uses Holy Week as an opportunity to criticize Christianity. If you're interested in information and books to help you understand your faith better, and therefore defend it better, check out this link: http://www.faithsearch.org/.

Thoughts on Easter

"EASTER is not the celebration of a past event.

The alleluia is not for what was;

Easter proclaims a beginning which has already decided the remotest future.

The Resurrection means that the beginning of glory has already started."

-- Karl Rahner, Everyday Faith

"I'm Going to Die, Aren't I?"

In newly-released 9-1-1 tapes from September 11, 2001, a woman from the 83rd floor of the second tower is talking to the operator, "We're on the floor and we can't breathe.... I don't see any more air...", she says.

Knowing her future, she finishes her call with: "I'm going to die, aren't I?"


Link: http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/06/moussaoui.ap/index.html

Conscientious Objector Buried
with Military Honors

"The only conscientious objector to receive a Medal of Honor in World War II has been buried at a national cemetery with a 21-gun salute, although he refused to carry a weapon while serving as an Army medic," reports the AP.

"Desmond T. Doss Sr., 87, died March 23 in Piedmont, Ala., where he and his wife, Frances, had been living with family...Doss had endured ridicule for his beliefs but 'remained true to his convictions even when it was not the most popular thing to do,' said Patti Parks, a retired Navy commander and director of the Medal of Honor Museum in Chattanooga."

"While under enemy fire on the island of Okinawa, Doss carried 75 wounded soldiers to the edge of a 400-foot cliff and lowered them to safety, according to his citation. During a later attack, he was seriously wounded in the legs by a grenade. According to the citation, as he was being carried to safety, he saw a more critically injured man and crawled off his stretcher, directing the medics to help the other wounded man."

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12152446/from/RS.5/

A Fervent Desire for Peace

"The fervent desire for peace has occupied the thoughts of innumerable warriors through the ages. It is true that few people hate war more than those manning its front lines," writes Chaplain Robert Stroud. "My father served nearly three decades in the Marine Corps, enlisting in 1946 at the age of seventeen. He stood in awe of the veterans he met who were well acquainted with the kabar [a knife used in combat]. In time he possesed his own, and it accompanied him to subsequent wars."

Since retiring, Chaplain Stroud notes that father took up gardening: "He had rakes and hoes, of course, but it seemed his tool of choice for close combat against the tares was his trusty kabar..Eventualloy, soil and stone dulled and scarred his kabar. Peaceful employment transformed it over the years from a knife into a trowel."

"Man forms instruments for war. God changes them into tools of peace. That is at the heart of this promise in the book of Isaiah. 'Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord...He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths...' They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore" (Isaiah 2:3-4).

Chaplain Stroud concludes, "Only when our Lord returns to usher us into the fullness of his Kingdom will we be free to lay aside - for all time -- the weapons with which we now defend peace. "


(Excerpts from Chaplain Stroud's article, which appeared in the April 2006 issue of Command, the magazine of Officers' Christian Fellowship.)

Stopping Genocide...Again

"Ethnic bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region remains the top crisis for U.N. ambassador John Bolton," reports Christianity Today at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/005/2.34.html

The righteous care about justice for the poor,

but the wicked have no such concern. Proverbs 29:7 (NIV)

Chaplains' Prayer Issue

Today's Christianity Today weblog links to articles about the ongoing debate in the U.S. about whether chaplains can pray in the name of Jesus: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/113/51.0.html.

Topic: Military Ethics
When Ethical Actions are Illegal

In his new book, Trapped: When Acting Ethically is Against the Law, author John Hasnas shows how "government's effort to enforce legal rules has created a Catch-22 legal environment in which businesspeople must either act unethically or illegally." Although written for businesspeope, it may be of interest to military ethicists.

Link: ttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1930865880/ref=sr_11_1/104-2731877-2273534?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Unique Perspective from Israel

A 20-year-old Israeli Defence Force soldier blogs his thoughts, and pictures, at: http://onlyinisrael.blogspot.com/

Politicizing Soldiers

"The Associated Press reported recently that a trailside memorial to an American soldier killed in Afghanistan had been vandalized," shares retired Major General Geoffrey Lambert. "Sadly, the vandals' actions are illustrative of how we have squandered our opportunity to face terrorism with unified and coherent action. The right's neocons orchestrated a war with Iraq that has destroyed national consensus and they are culpable for politicizing the individual soldier by repeatedly sending the message that to criticize policy equates attacking the soldier -- an allegation that is simply not true."

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101585.html

Church to Army Chief: Quit Now!

"The Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji has called on the commander of the Fiji Military Forces to resign from his present position and join politics," reports the Fiji Times. "ACCF chairman Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu said it was better for the commander to join politics because his continued public outburst against the Government was affecting national security."

In response, "The Military has today criticised church leaders who are attacking the Army Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama for organising the truth campaigns in villages ... RFMF spokesperson, Captain Neumi Leweni says it is evident that the Assembly of Christian Churches in Fiji is trying to hide something by trying to stop the people from making informed decisions."


Links: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=39603
http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_28425.shtml