FReeper Canteen ~ Guest Military Chaplain ~ February 27 2005

chaplaincare.navy.mil ^ | CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

 

 

 

 

GOLDEN MOMENTS

Once upon a time, there was a little boy from "the wrong side of the tracks" who grew up admiring a beautiful house high on the hill overlooking his town. Fortunately, he never lacked for any of the necessities of life. But he hated being "poor." He noticed that people treated him differently. And it pained him to see his parents work so hard just to make ends meet. It just didn't seem right that some should be so favored and others should have so little. But his parents has instilled some rather clear "core values" in their son so that he grew up honest, persistent and a hard worker.

All the while, the boy kept looking up at that big old house on the hill. He noticed that, when the sun came up each morning, the windows seemed to turn to gold. And after a while, that house came to symbolize all that he had missed by growing up a "disadvantaged child." (He heard his counselor at school describe him that way once.) So, year after year, he grew more and more determined. Someday, he resolved, he would own that house with windows of shining gold! And life would be good.

After a while people began to take notice that the young man worked hard, learned quickly, and could be trusted with responsibility. They nodded their heads in approval, and reckoned that he would go far. Meanwhile, he just kept working... and looking up the hill.

Years passed. The boy grew to be a man. And those painful lessons of his youth, learned through years of sacrifice and self-denial, served him well. He developed a keen sense for business. And a heart of compassion for those less fortunate. He seized each new opportunity for advancement, saved his profits, and invested wisely. Before long, his ventures began to succeed beyond even his wildest imagination. And so it was that he finally realized his dream. He bought that house high on the hill. The one with the windows of shining gold he had admired so long.

But a strange thing happened as he walked through his new home that first time. Oh, he wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful house. Perhaps even more than he had realized. The rooms were large, the furnishings he had chosen were magnificent, and the view was spectacular. But as he looked down the hill toward the town, it was late afternoon, and the sun had begun to set in the west. Suddenly he spotted his boyhood home. And every window was gleaming like the brightest gold!

Can the destination be reached without the journey? Could this man have fully appreciated his status without the struggle? Or was that struggle really a "gift" in disguise, as much as health or opportunity or natural ability? Were there blessings he could have enjoyed all along? You decide.

And what about our journeys -- yours and mine? What struggles have stimulated our growth and development? How has pain and hardship been part of a process to make us stronger or better or more open to God? Could that be part of the reason the Bible tells us to "give thanks in all things"?

In his book, Invisible Lines of Connection, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner writes that, "The closer we are to what is happening, the more we believe we are in complete control. The farther away we get, the more we are willing to acknowledge the participation of something greater." May God guide us as we ponder, and discover His leading in our lives,
and give thanks.

CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

 

 

 

 

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

www.ProudPatriots.org
Proud Patriots - Sending care packages, e-mails, and snail mail to US Military worldwide.
Proud Patriots is a group of private Americans who are working to ensure
that our brave military heroes receive the support we believe they deserve.

CLICK HERE
TO ENTER PROUD PATRIOTS

All cards, letters, and packages need to be
in Virginia no later than March 4th, 2005.

[HiJinx]

Morning!

[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.

                                          


CLICK HERE for TROOP PRAYER THREAD 11

Thank You TEXOKIE

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

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT
Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.
CLICK HERE TO FIND LATEST THREAD.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

FYI : Look in upper right corner of "My Comments" page.
Set it for "Brief" instead of Full.
You only will get title of thread and who pinged you.
No graphics will load.

[perfect stranger]

Thank you. That is a beautiful message.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

From the men in the Military and the Canteen

[Soaring Feather]

[HiJinx]

Guess who came to visit Poppa and Nana? Guess who is all grown up now, takes her own shoes off, goes shopping with Momma, is speaking in sentences, has gotten Poppa wrapped - again!?!?!?

It is amazing how much a toddler can change in a mere week. But you know what? The little ones are resilient, and it's almost as if she hadn't left. And from what I understand, she's just as happy with her other grandparents.

For those of you who may be away from your babies, don't worry. They're going to remember you, and things are going to be okay when you get home!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.

To our military readers, we remain steadfast in keeping the Canteen doors open.
The FR Canteen is Free Republics longest running daily thread specifically designed
to provide entertainment and morale support for the military.
The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.
We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT
Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.
CLICK HERE TO FIND LATEST THREAD.

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

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

Please Dear Lord, keep out Troops safe on this Holiest of Days.

Prayers going up.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

I remember when the Canteen was waiting word on Piper's birth!

Look at her now.

Seems just like yesterday.

[uncleshag]

The best day of the week.

Thanks for opening the doors to the Canteen and keeping them open 24/7, and thanks for your continued service to our great nation, Tonkin.

Have a great Lord's Day.

[The Mayor]

February 27, 2005

Our Creator

Read:
Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. -Genesis 1:1

Bible In One Year: Numbers 34-36

The Bible's first chapter addresses the most fundamental issues of life. It declares that God brought all things into existence. This should affect the way we live.

The writer of Genesis made the radical declaration that there is one God. That truth stood in sharp contrast to the polytheism and idolatry of the ancient world. The description of each creation day denounced the various gods worshiped by the pagans of Moses' day and declared that they were not gods at all-just creations of the one and only true and living God.

On day 1, gods of light and darkness are dismissed; day 2, gods of sea and sky; day 3, gods of earth and vegetation; day 4, sun, moon, and star gods; days 5 and 6, animal gods. And finally, humans. Even though all people are granted a divine likeness, they too are only created beings and must never be worshiped.

This account gives the foundation for Israel's covenant with God. For example, why do the Ten Commandments prohibit the worship of other gods? Because God alone is the maker of heaven and earth. Why is murder wrong? Because human beings are created in God's image.

Let's make it our goal to get to know the true and living God. -Haddon Robinson

So many gods have all come and gone,
Gods of earth, of sky, and of sea;
But God the Creator alone will stand
Tests of time and eternity. -Carbaugh

In the beginning-God.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Can I Know There Is A God?
Celebrating The Wonder Of Creation

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thanks for stopping in for Sunday services.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thank You for your daily prayer for the Canteen.

[HiJinx]

I know...and look at all the babies who've followed.

We are truly a blessed family in the Canteen.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thank You for your daily Pledge of Allegiance.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thank you, Poppa, for Piper's update. Piper, look at you, untying your shoe laces and taking your shoes off. What a help you are to Momma and Daddy. LOL! And did you get a hair cut?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Evening Your Honor!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Wishing all our Jewish troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
a peaceful and prosperous week.