FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THE MAN IN THE GLASS ~ 6 July 2014

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

THE MAN IN THE GLASS

I first heard the poem some years ago as a song performed by a former pop musician turned Christian entertainer. Its words had a powerful impact. They were a challenge to self-examination, and a warning about the consequences of life lived without integrity. They were a reminder that each of us must live with his or her self. And that we KNOW what's behind our image, no matter how carefully crafted, or how convincing it may be to others. I wonder if it might also speak to you. It's entitled "The Man in the Glass".

"When you get what you want in your struggle for self, and the world makes you king for a day, Just go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what THAT man has to say. For it isn't your father or mother or wife whose judgment upon you must pass. The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life is the one staring back from the glass. Some people might think you're a straight-shootin' chum and call you a wonderful guy, but the man in the glass says you're only a bum if you can't look him straight in the eye. He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest, for he's with you clear up to the end. And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test if the guy in the glass is your friend. You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years, and get pats on the back as you pass, But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you've cheated on the man in the glass."

Was this poem written by a pastor to caution his congregation, or by an educator seeking to energize our conscience and encourage some set of core values? No. But I didn't know that, didn't know the REST of the story until this week. It seems that newspaper columnist Ann Landers received it some years ago from a young woman in Louisiana. In her letter, the young woman requested that the author's name be kept anonymous. He had died a few weeks earlier, you see, after years of struggling with a drug habit. He was only twenty-four years old. Hopefully, we can learn the lessons he discovered without repeating his mistakes. As a quote from a Farmer's Almanac of the late 1700s phrased it, "Eny dern fool kin learn from experience...; it takes a smart feller to learn from someone else's experience"!

In the end, our ability to learn from that man or woman in the glass depends on the power of our conscience. But sometimes a conscience can be an untrustworthy guide. We may feel guilty about the wrong kinds of things. Or we may not feel guilty about ANYTHING. The Bible speaks of people whose consciences have been "seared" as with a hot iron. (I Timothy 4:2) The modern term for such a person is "sociopathic". Such a person, it is said, may even be able to pass a lie detector test while lying because they feel no guilt, shame or remorse. Their conscience is clear only because it is nonexistent. Better we should DEVELOP our conscience, and inform it through a study of the timeless truth in God's word. James warned, "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was". (1:23-24)

Here's to hoping that all of us will take a good look, and learn from that man or woman in the glass.

CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

 

[ConorMacNessa]

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS
AND OUR BELOVED NATION!

THE NAVY HYMN
"Eternal Father, Strong to Save"
United States Marine Corps Band and Choir
(Click)



The Marine Corps Verse:






A Blessed Lord’s Day To You And Yours!

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[SandRat]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Same here....this time across the street. Thankfully they were short-lived.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Arrowhead, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

How much rain have you had of late? Noticable raising of the lake?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound...always beautiful.

[left that other site]

My sound equipment was making weird noises in the lightening this morning.

It was scary.

[Arrowhead1952]

How much rain have you had of late? Noticable raising of the lake?

Not much rainfall the past few days here. Some places did get an inch or more, so the lakes are still falling. We need a tropical system to park itself over our area for a few days. (((HUGS))).

[Kathy in Alaska]

I left for outer space!

Think it will work?

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours, Sand...((HUGS))

[Kathy in Alaska]

Yikes! Maybe not a good time to have electrical things plugged in.

How did the choir do today? Duo? Trio?

[left that other site]

Quartet.

The Faithful Four! :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hurrah for the “some places”, and hoping for a tropical system for your area.

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless the Faithful Four!

[left that other site]

God Bless The Faithful Four
Of our Band We Are the Corps
We seem impervious to pain
As we play our guitars in the rain!
LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Pretty nimble with your prose!

That’s cute.

[left that other site]

What is even more frightening.
Is Microphones outside, in lightening! :-)

[Salvation]

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,
from your provident hand we have received
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us
the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,
and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

[Salvation]

PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRY

 

O my Jesus, You said, "verily I say to you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you."  Behold, in your name I humbly ask our Heavenly Father to protect every man, woman, and child in our greakat nation from those who want to delete your name from our society, i.e. on our money, in our courts, and in our schools.  Protect us from plans of destruction from which our enemies have plotted. 

 

You, Heavenly Father, are the real foundation of our nation.  I thank you for making me a citizen of this land of freedom and unlimited opportunity...which are the results of its Christian base. 

 

Please surround and protect us, and our military with Your love and mercy...in Jesus' name. 

Amen

[Arrowhead1952]

and hoping for a tropical system for your area.

Thanks Ma. The trees are chasing dogs to pee on the stem now.

[Kathy in Alaska]

That’s not good.

Enjoying the new job? Lots of folks you know? Any tools new to you?

[Arrowhead1952]

Enjoying the new job? Lots of folks you know? Any tools new to you?

Yes, new job is great and I know a lot of the people who come in. No tools, but got a lawn chair for $.25 that had a broken wooden armrest.

I had a piece of wood that I cut into the same shape as the original armrest. The 25 cent chair worked great for the firework show.