FReeper Canteen ~ Favorite Christmas Treats ~ 23 DEC 2008

Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World | The Canteen Crew

[luvie]

...to you, Conor!
May it be the best one ever!

[SandRat]

Can You Hear Me? -- U.S. Army Capt. Lori August and Capt. Ramona Toussant show a hearing-impaired Iraqi girl from Rumaythuh, Iraq, how they administer a hearing examination, Dec. 11, 2008. The Iraqi girl is visiting Combat Operations Base Adder in Tallil, Iraq, to be tested for a hearing aid. August and Toussant are assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's Company C, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens.

[ConorMacNessa]

You're doing it to me again - no watermelons like those of my youth! The seedless ones are tasteless and the available seeded varieties are hybrids not worthy of notice, IMHO.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[luvie]

Awwwww...wish ya didn’t have to run off! Darn ole meetings!

I AM hanging in there. It’s just crazy, but I keep thinking
that it’s almost over. The customers, for the most part, have
been pretty nice. :D

(((hugs)))

[ConorMacNessa]

Thank you, Luv - It will be, I'm sure, and I hope the same for you and yours!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[SandRat]

JINGLE ALL THE WAY -- U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Ward, dressed in the Santa suit, and 1st Lt. Philip Vrska, in the Christmas package, bring some holiday cheer to a 5K “Jingle” race sponsored on Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Dec. 20, 2008. Ward and Vrska are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1. While the festive pair didn’t place in the field of 64, they did complete the entire run in costume. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Emily Suhr

[luvie]

Thank you! We are planning on it! My MIL, who I love dearly,
will be here with us, so that is good!

[ConorMacNessa]

THE SOLDIER’S CODE

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The Soldier’s Code

1) I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

2) I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.

3) If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

4) If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me, and will back them up in every way.

5) When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies, or harmful to their cause.

6) I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, August, 1955.

[MHGinTN]

You will love it, I guarantee! I make it with a coolwhip and peanut butter topping and several different puddings, like Devil’s Food chocolate.

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

December 23, 2008

Invisible Man

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READ: John 14:5-20

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. —Hebrews 12:2

As a boy, I was fascinated by the book The Invisible Man. The main character played an elaborate game of hide-and-seek, staying just out of reach of mere mortals “cursed” with a visible nature. To have a physical presence, he wore clothes and wrapped his face in bandages. When it was time to escape, he simply removed everything and disappeared.

I wonder if we have similar thoughts about our unseen God. We feel He is beyond our reach and express it in song with one of my favorite hymns:

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible
Hid from our eyes.

Yet, while declaring the wonder of God, the hymn speaks of a God who is not just invisible:

All praise we would render—O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!

We perceive that God is distant, far off, inaccessible, and hidden. But we need a God who is accessible, and we wonder how to have a meaningful relationship with Him.

We will never fully comprehend what God is like. Yet He Himself is accessible to us. In part, that is why Jesus came—to “show us the Father” (John 14:8-11) and to bring us close to Him, because “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15).

Our God is an invisible God, beyond our limited comprehension. Thankfully, Jesus came to show us how near to us He really is.

God’s presence with us is His greatest present to us.

Bible in One Year: Zechariah 7–9; Proverbs 29:21-27

[BIGLOOK]

Aloha Alfa6!

Check post #72 from JJ.

Mele Kalikimaka, Alfa6!

(Can the Raptor really pull all those manuvers? Know they can do a Cobra but the rest?)

[TheMom]

No doubt my family favorites are buttermilk pie & divinity!

[SandRat]

DEAR SOLDIER -- Soldiers on Camp Liberty, Iraq, displayed this letter of thanks from a child at Grenada Elementary School in Mississippi on the wall of the Forward Support Company Tactical Operations Center in the motor pool on Camp Liberty, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2008. The soldiers there are assigned to the 890th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade and are from Mississippi. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Catherine Graham

[RepoGirl]

My mom used to make the most amazing pfefferneusse cookies. Peppermint meringues, too. Wonderful stuff.

[mylife]

Merry Christmas Mayor

[ConorMacNessa]

I'm speechless in the face of this child's eloquence. Thanks for posting it, Sandy!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[SandRat]

STORY TIME -- U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brian Jopek and Spc. Erica Isaacson take time out of their morning, Dec. 9, 2008, to read to a second-grade class at W.T. Sampson Elementary School at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The soldiers are assigned to the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Carlynn M. Knaak

[Aliska]

They aren't as good any more, but they grow what they think people will buy. Well as if we haven't mucked up watermelons enough, look what the Japanese have done to them. This is for real, article at link.

At least I've posted the obligatory photo.

Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers

[SandRat]

Go here http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=27938 and swell with pride.

[luvie]

Michael Buble~Let It Snow

Neil Diamond~Winter Wonderland

Bing Crosby~White Christmas