FReeper Canteen ~ Guest Military Chaplain ~ Jumping to Conclusions ~ August 27 2006

bluejacket.com ^ | Chaplain's Office

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

 

 

Jumping to Conclusions

A newspaper article told of a man who was walking toward an open New York subway car when he felt a body brush by him. Instinctively, he reached for his pocket and discovered he didn't have his wallet. Shouting and running, he grabbed the person who had bumped against him. He tugged wildly at the stranger's sleeve, trying to stop him from escaping into the departing subway. The subway door slammed shut,
but not before he had ripped off the suspected pick-pocket's coat sleeve.

Later that night at home the man discovered his "stolen" wallet
had been on his dresser all day. He had left home without it.

How often do we rush into things without thinking?
Jumping to conclusions can lead to problems.
Not only can we get upset and stressed,
but we can hurt the feelings of innocent people or even do physical harm.
To avoid problems, it is always best to follow the old adage, "look before you leap."

To avoid going over the edge into the abyss of wrong conclusions,
try these ideas from one with many bruises from hard landings.

First, keep cool.
Apply the brakes to your racing mind and rising temper.
When calm you think more clearly.
Breathe deep, count to ten, or a hundred if necessary,
and ask God to give you His peace and wisdom.

Secondly, think through the problem.
Consider all the possibilities.
Perception is not always reality.
List your prejudices and assumptions.
Label the facts and your fabrications.

Finally, check the solutions.
Try the most positive answer first.
Exercise faith.
Ask God to help.
You can work through the problem.

Chaplain's Office

 

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Dear God:
I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman,
Marine, Sailor, Soldier or National Guardsman
Feel alone or forgotten.
Please guide the people of Free Republic to
The FR Canteen Post Office
So they can e-mail a service man or woman today.
AMEN

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Click on the pic and I'll guide you
to the start of today's
Guest Military Chaplain Service





Please stop in and say a prayer of protection for the military.
Prayers from all denominations are needed.

                                          


Sunday Liberty starts after the Guest Military Chaplain's Service!

[Soaring Feather]

Psalm 121

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

King James Version

[AZamericonnie]

LeeAnn Rimes~Amazing Grace

[Clint N. Suhks]

[MeekMom]

Good evening Tonkin. Thanks for the thread. :)

[Lady Jag]

Jumping

[Just A Nobody]

Thanks for this beautiful presentation.

[ConorMacNessa]

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS!

---

Amazing Grace

by John Newton

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, .
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

[Gucho]

Thanks for the ping and thread, Tonk.

[ConorMacNessa]

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS!

---

---

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
And cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord,
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation,
And renew a right spirit within me.

[Clint N. Suhks]

WOW, that pic sure jerked my heart.

Phweew does that bring you back to reality.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for the ping and the great thread Tonk.

[jackv]

I received this e-mail recently. God Bless You All!
I Love You!! jackv


"The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; He was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark.

He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues: He washes one and wears the other.

He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle.

He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons And weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that's his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to war when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot.. A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

Please stop for a moment and say a prayer For our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, And for those in Iraq

Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine, Merhant Mariner or Airman, prayer is the very best one."

[The Mayor]

August 27, 2006

Is He Listening?

READ: Matthew 26:39-42; 27:45-46

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? —Matthew 27:46

Sometimes it feels as if God isn’t  listening to me.” Those words, from a woman who tried to stay strong in her walk with God while coping with an alcoholic husband, echo the heartcry of many believers. For 18 years, she asked God to change her husband. Yet it never happened.

What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?

Let’s look at the life of the Savior. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He agonized for hours in prayer, pouring out His heart and pleading, “Let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But the Father’s answer was clearly “No.” To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening.

When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.

We must leave the unknowable to the all-knowing One. He is listening and working things out His way. —Dave Branon

Not ours to know the reason why
Unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God’s own time
To lift the cross we bear.  —Anon.

When we bend our knees to pray, God bends His ear to listen.

Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year:   Psalms 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops they're fighting for our Freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up.

[StarCMC]

Thank you for posting the Chapel thread Tonk! *HUGS!*

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Canteen. Thanks and God Bless all troops and veterans.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Tonk. How's it going?

A very pleasant good morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and broad. Thanks for your contuined service to our country.