bropro

Two of my favorites that I watch quite often are Robert Morris and Allen Jackson.

Gary 

59 minutes ago, Sower said:

Lest we forget...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who see others fall for their country first hand, will never forget. It is etched in their minds forever. In honor of the fallen, have a memorable Memorial Day.

Gary

2 hours ago, PrayerWife said:

He also looks a little flushed.

Gary

Disobey and your life goes to pot.

Gary

I'm not sure if I have shared this before, but if I have I'm posting it again because I'm old and forgetful. That's my story and I stickin with it.

Gary

My Favorite Animal
 

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was,

and I said, "Fried chicken." She said I wasn't funny,

but she couldn't have been right, because everyone

else in the class laughed.
My parents told me to always be truthful and honest,

and I am. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told my

dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably

a member of PETA.

He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially

chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the

principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed,

too. Then he told me not to do it again.
The next day in class my teacher asked me what my

favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She

asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children.
So, I told her it was because you could make them into

fried chicken.
She sent me back to the principal's office again. He

laughed, and told me not to do it again. I don't understand.

My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher

does not like it when I am.
Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what

famous person we admire most.  I told her,

"Colonel Sanders." Guess where I am now.

21 hours ago, farouk said:

@bropro Mine was a quadruple (not all the bypasses are functional any more). Glad yours went okay.

Is there anything that can be done to correct the non-functional bypasses?

Gary

On 3/24/2023 at 11:27 PM, The_Patriot21 said:

If your local church has issues then work at fixing them. But avoiding them just because they're messed up....I'm sorry but that's just an excuse. Yes they're messed up, but two wrongs don't ever, make a right.

I agree. We need to ask the Lord to show us in what way we can be the solution to the problem. We all have gifts that God has given us that the church needs, and the church also has gifts that we need, regardless of the issues that the church may have.

Gary

2 hours ago, farouk said:

@bropro Perhaps it's something to do with the utter disconnect that politicians show when on the one hand they expect military personnel to live through unknown pressures for the years of their military service and then when they get to we civilian clothes again the same politicians expect the veterans to observe a whole range of illogical political correctness that bears no relation to those pressures that the veterans were expected to live through.

This has regularly occurred to me.

(But what do I know?)

I don't think it has anything much to do with the politicians. It has to do with the unnatural things that a person has to do in combat situations. Growing up we are taught to respect human life and that it is wrong to kill. Then we are put in situations where we have to do the total opposite of what we have been taught. Again, it is not the politicians, but rather the traumatic experiences that have left an indelible stamp in our minds and souls that drives people to the point of taking their own life. 

Gary

1 hour ago, Marathoner said:

It's sobering, brother. I think many of us vets know one or more of our fellows who ended their lives. 

I told the story of Frank elsewhere, a Vietnam vet whom I befriended when I enlisted in the Army before the Gulf War. Frank promised to buy me dinner after I graduated from Basic Training. The VA had been supplying Frank with morphine ever since he rotated back stateside and was discharged. He was exposed to Agent Orange like so many in Vietnam were. Morphine was the VA's answer.

When I was on leave after Basic Training, I looked for Frank but couldn't find him. I found out that Frank had passed away... but here's what I didn't share before: Frank took his own life.

My mother's older brother was a veteran of Korea and Vietnam (he joined my father on leave in Bangkok back in the day). Over a decade after the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam and eight years after he retired from the Army, my uncle suddenly took his own life. My aunt never saw it coming... no one did. It was a shock.

I know of a soldier who took his own life when he was one week away from leaving the Gulf War and returning stateside. He did it three feet away from where my brother in the Lord was standing. 

Then, there are those homeless vets who come to us here at the transitional housing shelter. Some will inexplicably decide to leave... and some have ended their own lives.

The truth is hard indeed. I understand why many prefer fairy tales to the truth. 

I served in  the Corp from ’67-69 and became friends with a guy from Wisconsin named Allan. We went through three phases of required training together before heading to Vietnam. We wound up in the same unit, but several weeks later Allan became an FO and left the section we were in together. He was still in the same company so we would run into each other from time to time. After being there a little more than a year, I rotated back to the states but he took an extension for 6 more months. Anyway, as happens quite often with veterans coming back to the world, we did not stay in contact. Back in the early to mid-nineties I looked him up and gave him a call and we talked for some time. Then a few years later I contacted another comrade of mine that also knew Alan who told me that he had taken his life. My heart sunk and for about a week I went into a deep depression.

Then while going to group meetings for PTSD at the VA several years ago, it was brought up that one of those in the group had taken his life during that week. I left that meeting and went into another deep depression and did not go back for a couple of years. It is really hard to hear these things. I heard it said that if you are a Christian, then you should never become depressed. Well, I am a Christian and I did go through depression, but it is by His grace that I come out of it every time. And by His grace I have not become one of those statistics.

From many of the posts that I have read about what you do, I’m sure you see this quite often. And I’m sure these experiences leave you with a heavy heart. Thank you for what you do.

Gary

On 3/27/2023 at 7:04 AM, Mr. M said:

Especially among teens. Not to mention veterans who have fought for that "live free".

The last time I checked with VA sources, 22 veterans take their lives every day in the U.S. That is a staggering and sad statistic.

Gary

On 3/27/2023 at 12:19 PM, farouk said:

Hi @bropro Even going into the tattoo parlor for a faith based tattoo certainly keeps one accountable, right?

I would think that the accountability issue should be settled before one enters the tattoo parlor. 

Gary

1 minute ago, Selah7 said:

Ha!  No, not IN.   I just hold a teaspoon of peanut butter and lick it like a lollipop.  It goes pretty good with coffee….since I can’t have sugar.

Oh okay. I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around putting peanut butter in my coffee. But I'm old and pretty set in my ways. Don't go for much of the different coffee flavors.

Gary

1 minute ago, Selah7 said:

You betcha it does, especially on a cold day or when the air conditioner is set at 65 degrees F.  Me too on the “Folgers, black and strong” plus a teaspoon of peanut butter. 

Peanut butter in coffee? I've never tried that.

Gary

On 3/22/2023 at 2:10 PM, Selah7 said:

I’ve just switched back to Folgers Colombian but find the flavor a little bit too strong this time around.  I’m having a cup right now—pretty tasty, actually.  I noticed Walmart has one called “Caramel Drizzle.”  Sounds yummy for an occasional midafternoon cup.  Has anyone tried it?  

So what’s your favorite?  
 

s e l a h
 

Does hot chocolate count?  Just had some a little earlier today. But as far as coffee goes, I like Folgers, black and strong. 

Gary

4 hours ago, Starise said:

It seems some of the things many of us were  taught, even by well meaning people in the course of our christian lives  in the past has been occasionally all wrong.

Granted most of it has been in the area of secondary doctrine and would not have made any serious difference in my salvation one way or the other.

Some of the things some believers have taken to be a truth have been proven to either be abolutely wrong or at best, misleading information.

I'll pick a few of my own I have come across personally

End times teachings- My early childhood church had this all wrong.

Church on Sunday- We gentiles have taken the horse right off the path here on this one.

Baptism- The church I now attend could not have this more wrong. Picking up babies and saying, " I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost".

The process most churches use to decide who does what and the idea of a "professional" clergy.- The vote is still out on this one for me. I am not convinced the methods and rules employed are always biblical. Or at the very least, they are biblical but add  much uneeded uecessary fluff to it.

Has anyone else had these sorts of rvelation? Sometimes many years after they have been in these religious systems?

How do you cope with the knowledge things are all wrong after you've heavily invested in people and are possibly ingrained in these systems?

How would you get out of it ( if necessary ) in order to pursue what you really believe in?

 

 

When I first come to the Lord I was zealous for truth, but many times looked to the wrong sources. One time I told my pastor that I wanted to be a Christian scientist, but he set me straight on that issue using the word of God. Then another time I was going to study the book of Mormon, but again was led away from that pursuit (I don’t remember what or who set me straight on that one). Then I started listening to some of the HYPER WOF teaching but found that much of their teaching did not line up with the written word, which was made clear to me by yet another pastor. Fortunately, I sat under a pastor that encouraged everyone to seek out the truth by going to the scriptures themselves to make sure that what they heard or read from other resources lined up with what God was saying.

I have learned that as I prayerfully search the scriptures for truth, that the Spirit of truth will guide my understanding. As I seek to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, the Holy Spirit is aiding me to not only understand the truth, but to apply it. When the Holy Spirit leads me to the truth, and I apply it, then I experience transformation. I guess what I am communicating about my journey, is that in my zeal for truth, God provided the way for me to find the it through some good pastors who directed me away from erroneous teachings to the pure teachings of God’s word.

There are a lot of good teachers and ministers that have a solid handle on the word of God. But ultimately, when I stand before God to give an account of my life to Him, I stand there not with my teachers, pastors, commentaries, or books about the bible as good as they may be. I stand there alone. Take for instance, if when I stand before the Lord and He questions me and I answer “but pastor so and so said this, or my commentary said this,” He may respond, “ I’ll be getting to them later, again, what do you have to say about what I have given you?”  BTW, this scenario is not supported by scripture, it just come out of some of my own thinking.

What it boils down to me is this is not about religion or denominational teachings. This is about knowing God intimately (John 17:3). It is about living in a personal love relationship with God. Religion and denominations don’t have the capacity to make that happen. Only God Himself.

I did get caught up early on in legalistic teaching but was able to overcome it by applying this passage:
¹³  …………. I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
¹⁴  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Phil. 3:13-14). Have a blessed day.

Gary

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

I like getting into the Greek, reading the interlinear, hitting the concordance and word studies to really get into the meaning of scripture, and maybe also check a couple commentaries and/or listen to some others speaking on the topic.  But, especially first thing in the morning, I want to be nourished in the Word and use it to help me seek the Lord.

So I typically hit "Daily Light" (by Bagster/Ann Graham Lotz) after some initial quiet prayer and thankfulness.  Daily Light is simply verses/passages that have been arranged by topic.  I like to read these verse out loud when possible (sometimes other members of the household are still asleep), and frequently turn them into prayers and/or thanking and praising the Lord for His faithfulness, love, mercy, light, life, guidance, etc.  Sometimes the verses turn into prayers for myself or others or the government or the world or whatever.  Many times I find awesome verses to just strongly declare their truth - to the Lord; to myself; or to the enemy.

Oftentimes when I start out after waking, the word seems pretty dull (but that's actually me).  And as I continue reading/meditating/speaking/praying these verses, the word starts to get fresher, come alive and more full of meaning - I can even sense the life-giving Spirit giving life to my mortal body!  The faith of Christ in me gets stronger and my outlook on nearly everything simply improves. Many times I'll just have to break out in a love song to Jesus that's welling-up inside me. (again, if my wife and dogs are still asleep, the song will have to be somewhat muted . . .)

Anybody else here enjoy this kind of nourishing meditation & prayer in the word?

Years ago (not saying how many) I attended training courses for the Billy Graham association, that was to lead up to the crusade coming to our city. We were being trained to be counselors that would meet the people who would come forward at the invitation to receive salvation. During one of the training sessions they had us trace our hand on a piece of paper. Each finger would represent a particular discipline, and the effect it would have on our grip on God’s word. Starting with the little finger being #1 around to the thumb #2, there was assigned a certain percentage of retention of God’s word. It goes like this:

1. Hearing                   10%

2. Reading                  30%

3. Studying                 60%

4. Memorizing           100%

5. Meditation             100% Plus

The instructor went on with his teaching by saying if a person only heard the word, but didn’t engage in the reading, studying, memorizing, and meditation he would not have much of a grip on the word. He would illustrate this by holding the bible in his hand with only the little finger grasping it, then asking someone to try and take it from his hand. Well, it was quite easy at that point. But as he went through each finger in the same way, it kept getting harder to pull the bible out of his hand. When a person hears, reads, studies, memorizes, and meditates on the word, that person will have a sound grip on the word of God and be more effectively transformed in the process.

I have learned that when I meditate on His word and pray through it, that His truths are not just things I know, but things that have been internalized. More specifically, God’s word is effecting every thing I think, do, and say, because it is He that is working in me to will and to do of His good pleasure.

In my daily devotions, I pray and meditate as I read a portion of scripture and write down these 3 things:

1. My thought.

2. How it impressed me.

3. My response to God

Sorry, didn’t meant to rattle on. Have a great day.

Gary

4 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

PRAISE THE LORD - HE'S GOT THIS!!!  

I embraced and spoke this saying just before going under the knife for quadruple by-pass surgery. That was over 3 years ago. He truly "had this."

Gary

2 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

This morning in my "quiet time" (not always so quiet . . .) I considered what are the main facts that I should live by in this Christian life.  I came up with five facts that I can, so to speak, "take to the bank."  Here they are:

1. He loves us beyond measure!

2. He died to set us free!

3. He now lives in us!

4. My job is simply learning to let Him live and operate in and through me!

5. He will return soon in bodily form to fully manifest His kingdom on earth - with and through His saints!

PRAISE THE LORD - HE'S GOT THIS!!!  

Good biblical points that all Christians should consider. Have a blessed day.

Gary

19 hours ago, Sower said:

And later it didn't take long before I found out what real heat was like in that steam bath, and I come from central Texas where it's always hot.

Yes, very hot and very humid. And it was cold at times during the monsoon season where we were, which was fine with me because I am a cold weather lover.

Gary 

47 minutes ago, Slibhin said:

Since we're on the subject of awful jobs, software engineer is right up there. It killed my husband quite literally.

So sorry to hear. I can't even imagine what it is like to lose a spouse. 

Gary

20 hours ago, Marathoner said:

The fourth time worked. Even with iron-clad proof, the VA will reject a vet's claim. 

It's really sad that he had to go through all that run around. I've heard a lot of stories of a similar nature. I was blessed in that when I initially filed my claim, it was processed within 6 weeks. Nice chatting with you. Be Blessed.

Gary

5 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Most don't have access to records like their DD-214, so the VA denies their service (and care).

There was a friend of mine that I was there with who called me one day a few years back, and asked if I would write a letter addressed to the VA stating that I had served with him while in country. I asked him if he had his DD-214, and he said yes, but they wanted further proof. To me, that was just crazy. That didn't make any sense as everything they need to prove he served in theater was right on the DD-214. I wrote and sent the letter, and he eventually got his compensation, but wow. Anyway, have a blessed week end Marathoner, and thanks for your service then, and now.

Gary

5 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Oh yes, after 50+ years, the stench is still fresh in my nostrils. The first day or two in the country, I suppose for a humbling experience, we were assigned to fill sandbags or burn and stir waste with diesel fuel. It was also used as a punishment if you messed up, which was not bad enough for Article 15. Fortunately, they gave me sandbag duty for only a day.

Yep, there is nothing on this planet that compares to the stench of diesel fuel burning human waste, then having to stand there and stir it for 2 or more hours in the extreme heat. It seemed that wherever I stood, the wind would shift and it would blow it in my face. Sandbags were no fun either.

5 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

That duty was generally contracted out to the Vietnamese. For $10.00 a month MPC, we hired "hooch maids" to clean our sleeping area, shine our boots, and do our laundry daily; what a bargain.

We were never in a place that we could hire out our laundry. In '68 we were on a hill for 77 days, and the only shower I got was when it rained 3 days out of that 77. No water to do laundry. Oh the days we lived in back then. I'm glad they are over, but wouldn't trade them for anything. Have a blessed evening Dennis.

Gary 

9 minutes ago, Sower said:

Burning diesel wasn't the best thing to be breathing, for sure,
but it sure wasn't the worst thing that could happen to us over there, either.
Some memories help appreciate how blessed we really are.
Like life...

I hear you brother. Agent orange is still taking it's toll on a lot of Vets. I have a 60% rating for ischemic heart disease myself. But I am blessed that I'm still kicking.

Gary