Posted on 01/26/2005 1:11:32 PM PST by ncdave4life
I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
I said in my haste, All men are liars.
What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
In the counts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done
In Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever.
Amen.
Praying for all of them!
News Report from half hour ago:
Voting has been heaviest among Iraq's Shiite majority. But it's also picking up in Sunni neighborhoods in places like Samarra and Mosul where the polls earlier were deserted.
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence,
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation,
And uphold me with Thy free spirit.
Praying here.
I'm still praying. Thanks for the ping.
http://www.wbrz.com/stories/013005/new_rally001.shtml
1,000 rally at Kidd to support La. soldiers on overseas duty
BY CHUCK HUSTMYRE
Special to the Advocate
Advocate staff photo by Travis Spradling
Despite the kickoff of Mardi Gras celebrations, the cold weather, the thick layer of fog and mist that blanketed downtown, and a last-minute venue change, nearly 1,000 people rallied Saturday at the riverfront war memorial to support Louisiana's soldiers overseas.
"We were hoping for 250," said Teresa Bagwell, whose son, Dustin, is serving with the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Combat Brigade in Iraq.
"When you see all these people out here, it means a lot," Bagwell said as her eyes brimmed with tears and her voice choked with emotion.
On the eve of the elections in Iraq, a group of Baton Rouge mothers got together to sponsor a Saturday morning prayer rally to show support for their sons and daughters serving overseas in the United States' armed forces.
Janet Broussard, of the group Mothers of Military Servicemen, helped organize the rally. Broussard said she wanted to support Louisiana troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and to honor the state's fallen heroes.
Broussard's son, Lt. Mark St. Romain Jr., is an infantry officer also serving in Iraq with the 256th. The unit, composed mostly of soldiers from south Louisiana, has taken heavy casualties in recent weeks. At Saturday's rally, word spread among MOMS members that three more soldiers with the 256th had been killed Friday in combat in Iraq.
"It is important that we send a strong message of support to our troops," Broussard told the overflow crowd that gathered downtown at Lejeune Square, part of the Louisiana Memorial Plaza adjacent to the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum.
Many in the crowd waved American flags, clutched red, white and blue balloons, or carried hand-lettered signs expressing love and support for family members overseas. Some carried photos of their loved ones serving in the military.
Two sisters, Helen Jarreau Potter and Betty Jarreau Perrault, carried a pair of signs and a string of balloons. Their cousin, Ben Jarreau, 19, from New Roads, shipped out to Iraq in October with the 1088th Engineering Battalion, part of the 256th Combat Brigade.
One of Saturday's speakers was Staff Sgt. Clint Bond. After four months in Iraq, Bond and his wife, Sgt. Rebecca Bond, were granted a two-week break to come home to visit their 15-month-old baby. Both Bonds are assigned to the 1088th and based at Camp Victory in Baghdad.
Clint Bond told the crowd that U.S. troops are doing enormous good in Iraq. "You ought to be very proud of what Louisiana is doing there," he said. "The Iraqis will never forget us."
The Bonds are scheduled to return to Iraq next week.
Mary Weller said she's worried about her son. Also part of the 1088th Engineering Battalion, 22-year-old Wade Weller's specialty is searching for land mines. "He's my only living child," Mary Weller said. Her 18-year-old daughter died in a car wreck in 2003.
Wade's wife, Diana, said she doesn't expect her husband home until at least November. He's been gone since May. In the meantime, she takes care of their infant son and sends weekly care packages to Wade.
Despite the damp chill, William McInnis didn't wear a jacket to the rally, just a green T-shirt emblazoned with bright yellow letters spelling out the message, "My son is an infantry soldier."
McInnis' son, Staff Sgt. William "Dub" McInnis, has been in Iraq since October with the Army's 2nd Infantry Division. McInnis said his son was on patrol on Nov. 14 when a gunner popped out from behind a building and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at his son's Humvee. The rocket hit Staff Sgt. McInnis in a leg, but failed to explode.
The elder McInnis said he was notified by telephone that his son had been wounded. "That's a frightening phone call to get," he said.
Dub McInnis graduated from Central High School in 1998. His mother said joining the Army is his lifelong dream.
Asked how his son is doing after being wounded, Mr. McInnis said, "He's off crutches and he's back in combat now." McInnis said he is very proud of his son.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Joey Strickland, a Vietnam combat veteran who now serves as deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veteran Affairs, delivered the keynote address. Strickland's son just returned from duty in Iraq, and Strickland's brother-in-law is still there.
Strickland opened his remarks by saying, "We're a little bit cold, a little damp, our hearts are heavy, but we're proud."
The last-minute change of location from the State Capitol's front steps to the memorial plaza across from the Centroplex was due to a scheduling conflict at the Capitol, Strickland explained, but he said he was glad for the change. "We are on hallowed ground."
In regard to the war, Strickland said, the nation and the state may take pride in their accomplishments. "In Iraq, America's military secured the country, destroyed a dictator, and set an entire people free."
Strickland also paid tribute to those lost. "As we honor our Louisiana veterans today, we remember those who paid for our freedom with their lives."
As part of that tribute, retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Riedel chimed a brass bell as the Rev. Ted Roeling read aloud the names of each of the Louisiana armed forces members killed so far in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jesus Rosales of New Roads, left, wears a photo of his son Pvt. Chris Rosales, 19, next to his heart, on Saturday during a troop-support rally at the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum. Sisters Helen Jarreau Potter and Betty Jarreau Perrault, right background, carry signs in support of their cousin, Ben Jarreau, 19, of New Roads. Chris Rosales and Ben Jarreau are serving in the Louisiana National Guard in Iraq.
Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, my bretheren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
I wasn't on the forum the past two nights but I was praying!
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