the Centrist

America … What Kind of Story Are We In?

“What kind of story are we in Froto?” Sam, the lovable Hobbit, asks his best friend in Tolkien’s Trilogy, “Lord of the Ring”. The Trilogy is thought by many to be the most significant narrative of the twentieth century. With that in mind, perhaps nothing captures it’s theme better than Sam’s question to Froto in the last installment (“Return of the King”) as they approach the volcano on Mordor: “What kind of a story are we in?” Theirs was a quest to extinguish the ring of power, not to secure it. The story asks the question: can any handle absolute power? In modern materialistic America most would embrace the power and the ring, rather than the Hobbit. After all the ring of power is such that each of its owners could have whatever he/she wishes, forever. But what Tolkien understands is that mankind cannot handle absolute power. Absolute power is reserved for God alone. So rather than keep the ring and perpetuate the power the lowly Hobbits are trusted to destroy it. It is noteworthy that the meekest, not the strongest, are the only beings capable of ridding the universe of this evil. But more than that, the trilogy reveals that life is a story for every human being. Sometimes it is a comedy sometimes a tragedy, sometime we can control it, and other times it controls us. But none the less, “What kind of story are we in?” is still perhaps the most important question one can discern. For instance, what is America’s story in our times? Will our story be one of heroism, duty, and morality, or of defeat, debauchery, and denial? What kind of story can we anticipate when, while at war, the press accepts an ad mocking and ridiculing a general who by every measure is succeeding in defeating a fanatical enemy (Moveon.org’s ad calling Petraeus ‘betray us’ in the NY Times)? What kind of story can be anticipated, when Presidential candidates from the majority party in Congress refuse to condemn the slander spewed against said patriot? What kind of story can be anticipated when an enemy leader (the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmandinejad) is given access to a prestigious university (Columbia) in the very city in which that nation was at least complicit in its bombing? Ours is a story in which the elite refuse to understand that with power comes responsibility. It is a story in which we have come to treat the brutal as humane, and the humane as brutal. America’s story has become one in which the logical has become inappropriate, the inappropriate erudite, and the erudite treacherous. In short, unless it awakens to the dangers of its enemies, America’s story will be a tragedy.

Timmy news
How about our son Timothy! I’ll bet he can tell you ‘how to get to Sesame Street’ … click on these articles to see how his business is progressing …

http://www.thestamfordtimes.com/stamford_templates/stamford_story/289812878872517.php

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-sesame5sep18,0,1003839.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines

Prayer Requests:
David is in Europe this week on a book tour; please pray for traveling mercies and safety as well as a successful tour.
For friend Gary’s brother in last stages of cancer
Friend Michele and Cousin Pat … both diagnosed with brest cancer, both to undergo surgery soon.
For my prayer partner Ron, whose father has been placed at home with assistance from hospice.
Brother Pat: Surgery to open more ducts in liver is scheduled for Monday today at Buffalo General
Deanna’s grandmother passed recently … continue to keep the family in prayer.
Praise: Buffalo Bills reserve tight end Kevin Everett who sustained a life threatening broken neck last week is in Houston and re-habilitation!
Chris M young man with a painful neuralgia of unknown origin.
Nephew with eating disorder is eating and gaining weight please continue to pray.
Continue to pray for our kidney transplant friends: patient Jim and his donor and good friend Larry. Remember 9/26 (Thursday) is the surgical date.
Continue to pray that Dan and Betsey sell their home in Kettering.
Please remember to pray for our troops … at 9:00 PM Eastern each night.
Our family members for continued employment opportunities and wisdom of choice; Second son for results of his interview and third for success in recent opportunities … health issues and stress for sisters; health issues for five of our nieces; and Marilyn.
Pastors: Dan, John, Tom, Lyell, Steve D, search committee Clermont, Whittikers, Neil, and Steve T … for their ministries, ease of stress, and courage to spread the gospel …
Still have no update from our sister Debbie’s whose brother Ken has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, pray for salvation.

From John’s Journey:
‘You ain’t gonna like losing.’

Author unknown

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush’s mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people’s duty to back those leaders.

Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not.

And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans
put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort.

Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made
upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops’ morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.

A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being ‘tortured’ by being forced to wear women’s underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crackheads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve.

It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause…Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

So…we either win it – or lose it – and you ain’t gonna like losing.

America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall.

From Prayer Partner Bill

Worth remembering…

The L I T T L E Things .

As you might know, the head of a company survived
9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was
his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
alarm clock didn’t go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
time to change.

One’s car wouldn’t start.

One went back to answer the telephone .

One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn’t get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man
who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
took the various means to get to work
but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator,
turn back to answer a ringing telephone … all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong , the children are slow getting dressed,you can’t seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don’t get mad or frustrated; It
may be just that God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

From Marilyn:

Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for? THAT’S GOD talking to you through the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to? THAT’S GOD wanting you to talk to Him.
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn’t even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a coupon to a department store where you had just seen something you needed, but couldn’t afford? THAT’S GOD knowing the desires of your heart..
Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it was going to get better, how the hurting would stop, how the pain would ease, but now you look back on it.
THAT’S GOD passing us through tribulation to see a brighter day!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing:

Dr B