FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THINKING OUT OF THE BOX ~ 22 January 2023

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

[Kathy in Alaska]

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May HASHEM cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your G-d, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

G-d bless and keep your children safe, Alouette.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Ezekiel, and Shavua Tov to you and yours.

Interesting about teva. Thanks.

[ConorMacNessa]

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH FOR OUR AMERICAN HEROES AND FOR OUR BELOVED NATION!

Gen. George Washington and his Troops Marching To Valley Forge
December 1777

GEN. GEORGE WASHINGTON
THE PRAYER AT VALLEY FORGE

"Let Tyrants Shake Their Iron Rod"
William Billings
Mixed District Choir, Fairfax, Virginia
(Click)

IN THE COLDEST and darkest days of the American Revolution, General George Washington raised his prayers for the survival of his beleaguered Army and of the new Nation. The Lord answered his prayers, upheld his Army through a punishing nadir to everlasting Glory, and bestowed His Manifold Blessings upon the new Nation.

Lafayette

Steuben

Pulaski

FROM THE BRAVE, albeit weary, ill-equipped, and untrained volunteers who marched into Valley Forge on 19 December 1777 arose, with the help of some gallant friends from across the waves, the cohesive fighting force that became the United States Army, global defender of Freedom and scourge of Tyrants.



AS GENERAL WASHINGTON lifted his prayers on high in that bleak Winter, let our prayers now rise like a fountain for our Heroes in the American Armed Forces who serve to secure, protect and defend the benefits of Freedom on behalf of our beloved Nation. Father, look on our prayers for them with favor, guide their steps in righteousness and gather them in the shelter of Your Healing Wings. Bless and uphold them in the performance of their Mission. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, Amen.



SHADOWS AT ARLINGTON

"God Of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand"
Morman Tabernacle Choir
(Click)

HEAVENLY FATHER, Lord of the Nations, unto Your Divine Mercy we commend the souls of these valiant men and women who have fallen in the service of our Beloved Nation and in defense of the Freedoms we hold dear. We pray that You gather them in Your Loving Embrace, that You cause Your Countenance to shine upon them, and that You vouchsafe their souls to dwell eternally in Your Divine Presence. Through Jesus Christ Your Son, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, Amen.

"TAPS"
(Click)

[The Mayor]

January 22

Reaching Out

Bible in a Year:

• Exodus 4–6
• Matthew 14:22–36

He reached down from on high and took hold of me.

Psalm 18:16

In a recent post, blogger Bonnie Gray recounted the moment when overwhelming sadness began to creep into her heart. “Out of the blue,” she stated, “during the happiest chapter in my life, . . . I suddenly started experiencing panic attacks and depression.” Gray tried to find different ways to address her pain, but she soon realized that she wasn’t strong enough to handle it alone. “I hadn’t wanted anyone to question my faith, so I kept quiet and prayed that my depression would go away. But God wants to heal us, not shame us or make us hide from our pain.” Gray found healing in the solace of His presence; He was her anchor amid the waves that threatened to overwhelm her.

When we’re in a low place and filled with despair, God is there and will sustain us too. In Psalm 18, David praised God for delivering him from the low place he was in after nearly being defeated by his enemies. He proclaimed, “[God] reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters” (v. 16). Even in moments when despair seems to consume us like crashing waves in an ocean, God loves us so much that He’ll reach out to us and help us, bringing us into a “spacious place” of peace and security (v. 19). Let’s look to Him as our refuge when we feel overwhelmed by the challenges of life.

[radu]

No wind or rain today but rain is bearing down on us now. It’ll be a soggy night but nothing major.

Four more inches, huh? More than I thought you’d gotten. At least there isn’t any moving in to give you more tonight!

[radu]

LOL! Good luck! Easier said than done sometimes.

[ConorMacNessa]

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!



Missing Man Setting

"The Empty Chair"

By Captain Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (RET), on December 21st, 2004

"In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture. The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat – it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each other’s company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room – we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate.
The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them.
The bible represents the faith that sustained them.
The glass is inverted — they cannot share in the toast.
The chair is empty — they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER."

Many Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding Capt. Lefon's Chronicle Of "The Empty Chair."

"Träumerei"
Robert Schumann
(Click)

Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who
Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!

[radu]

Wow! Howdy, Conor! Wonderful to see you this evening! I hope all’s well with you and MrsMacNessa.

[left that other site]

God Bless You, CopnorMacNessa. It is good to have your presentations back online. :-)

[ConorMacNessa]

Hi, radu - all is well with Clan Mac Nessa, thank you, and I hope the same for you and yours!

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

"God save all here!"

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks, ML, they need some work to be sure, but it will be done.

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

"God save all here!"

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Janey, and Shavua Tov and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Stay dry, and warm!! You still have access out? No slides have you pinned down?

[left that other site]

There’s always work to be done...on everything. Believe me, I KNOW. As you know, I am encountering some HTML ‘garbage” that shows up on my Threads, that I can’t see, but others report back to me. So I am engaged in cleaning and “housekeeping” on an ongoing basis.

[radu]

Glad to hear it!
Things are moving along here, slowly but surely.

[ConorMacNessa]

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!

THE NAVY HYMN"Eternal Father, Strong to Save"
U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club
(Click)



The Marine Corps Verse:



This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 118:24(KJV)

A Blessed Lord's Day To You And Yours!

[Gene Eric]

Good to see these posts. Hope all is well.

[ConorMacNessa]

Good to be back, FRiend - all is well here as I hope it is with you.

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

"God save all here!"

[Kathy in Alaska]

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

Hope all is well...good to see you. *HUGS*

[Kathy in Alaska]

GOOD EVENING, TIGERHAWK, AND SHAVUA TOV TO YOU AND YOURS.

IN A WORD, NO, THE JETS DID NOT WIN TODAY.

JETS 6
DOLPHINS 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rpz_InKGAs

[ConorMacNessa]

Great to see you, too, Kathy!

*HUGS*

I've missed this place and it's great to be back!

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

"God save all here!"