Soldiers and Fathers

 

Though far from home during World War II, one soldier did what he knew was right. The following article was found in Country-Magazine, May 2019, titled A Life-Changing Decision by Daris Howard of St. Anthony, Idaho.

One of the soldiers turned to private Howard and said, “What about you, old man? Want to find some fun when we get to Hawaii?” Approaching the island, all the soldiers could talk about was the good times they would have when they got there. World War II was raging, and for months they had been enduring the hardships of boot camp. They had finished and were being shipped out to Hawaii before heading to the fighting in the Pacific. As they traveled, Merrill Howard sat quietly. He had grown up in a farm family and hoped to go to college. But his father, who had been ill, asked him to stay on the farm and help. He was 25 when Japan attacked Pearl harbor. He wasn’t married, so it wasn’t long before his draft number came up. Now, as the others chatted excitedly, all he could think about was the commitment he had made himself to do the things he had been taught. So, to answer the other soldier’s question, Private Howard shook his head. “It will be Sunday when we get there, so I’m hoping to go to church.” The other soldier and those nearby roared with laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding!” one of them said. “You know that soon you could be dead, and you have a chance to live it up for a few days. You’re not going to waste your time going to church, are you?” Word of what Private Howard had said spread quickly, and soon everyone was teasing him. It made the final part of the journey seem to last forever. When they arrived in Hawaii, Private Howard wondered how he would get to church. But they hadn’t even had time to settle in when a young lieutenant showed up at their barracks. “Anyone in this company want to attend church?” he asked. The other soldiers chortled as they pointed at Private Howard. “You want to go to church?” the lieutenant asked him. Private Howard nodded, so the lieutenant led him out to a waiting truck. A few men joined them from other units, all telling the same story of being teased for going. Private Howard and those few men with him spent the week enjoying church socials. But soon the week was over, and everyone packed their duffel bags. As Private Howard lined up with the others, his commander barked at him, “Howard, take your gear with you and report to the Officers Hall!” When he arrived at the hall, the other men he had gone to church with were already there. So was the lieutenant, who said, “You men are to be transported to the Command Center at Diamond Head. You’ll be working there for the duration of your service.” Expounding on their new assignment, the lieutenant explained, “The General over that command center told me to find some good men to work there. I could think of no better way than by finding out who would stick to what he knew was right by attending church, even when he was far from home.” Private Howard was my father. Now, on Memorial Day, when I look at the flag flying over his grave, I am proud and grateful that he taught me to do what I know is right, even far from home.

[Proverbs 4] It Is The Soldier by Charles M. Province, U.S. Army. “It is the Soldier: not the minister, who has given us the freedom of religion; not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech; not the campus organizer, who has given us the right to protest; not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag; Who serves beneath the flag; And Who’s coffin is draped by the flag; Who allows the protester to burn the flag.” Listen to your Father in Heaven for you are far from home.

Return To Me, Says The Lord

 

“The Dog and the Shadow” an Æsop Fable. “It happened that a dog had gotten a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So, he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.” The moral of the story: Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

Andrew Corey, the self-proclaimed “Human Fly,” was attempting to climb the outside wall of the New Howard Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. It was April 23, 1921, and he was doing this to raise money for the Pentecostal Orphanage. He climbed easily to the sixth floor, and as thousands of spectators watched, he reached for what looked like a gray piece of stone near a cornice. He gambled all his weight and safety on it as he stretched upward, but suddenly he plummeted to his death on the concrete below. When investigators opened his clinched hand, they found, ironically, a spider’s web. He had gambled his life on a piece of dry froth. Life is serious business. Do not gamble your soul on earthly froth. Secure your soul by pursuing spiritual treasure found in God’s Word. Sin weaves a web of deceit that makes us think we have something solid to hang onto as we try to climb upward, but a spider’s web will not support you. One needs something more substantial, like the firm foundation of Jesus’ teachings. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life… (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

A little boy was given two quarters – one for the Lord on Sunday and one for some candy. He put the two quarters in his pocket and went outside to play. When he came back into the house, he reached deep into his pocket and found that one of the quarters was gone. “Oh my!” he said, “I’ve lost the Lord’s quarter!” Isn’t that the way it is with many of us? When we have all our needs, and all our wants taken care of the Lord gets what’s left over. But think about it. Would God want leftovers? Will He be happy with your scraps? God has blessed us abundantly with possessions and talents. Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; (Proverbs 3:9).

[Zechariah 1:3] Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you’” says the Lord of hosts.’ When a storm devastates a neighborhood, a drunk driver destroys an entire family, or a shooter kills unsuspecting children, someone is sure to cry, “Where was God when this happened?” Zechariah might have answered, “Where were you when God wanted to bless you?” Many seem to live as if they consider God were their servant – a miracle worker to be on hand when troubles mount, and out of sight when life is running smoothly. But God …is not far from each one of us; (Acts 17:26-28). His evidence is in the sky, the trees and the flowers, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. And every evidence of Him calls us to seek Him and to know Him. When we find Him in the Book which He has given us, we are taught to respect, worship and serve Him. How can we recognize the existence and power that created the earth and sustains our lives with air, food, and water, and still think He is only at our beck and call? Mother said we could have dessert only after we ate all our vegetables. We may not have liked it, but we understood it. Shouldn’t we also believe and obey God when he calls us to turn to Him so He can bless us?

Let's Talk About Heaven

 

The father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent two days on the farm of what he considered an extremely poor family. On their return from the trip, the fa­ther asked his son, “What did you think of our little trip?” The son answered, “It was great, Dad!” So, the father asked, “What did you learn from the trip?” The son replied, “I saw that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pool that reach­es to our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our gar­den, and they have the stars at night. We have servants that serve us, but they serve each oth­er. We have walls around our property to pro­tect us, but they have friends to protect them.” The boy’s father was speechless! Then his son added “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we really are!” Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? This boy was able to appreciate everything God has given us! I hope we all recognize what money cannot buy!

Science says we need five basic things to survive: 1) Water; 2) Oxygen; 3) Food; 4) Shelter; 5) Light. * Jesus is the perfect water. “…the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10-14). * Our very breath comes from God. “…He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25; Isaiah 42:5). * Jesus said: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48-51). * God provides shelter. “I will abide in your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings” (Psalm 61:4). * Jesus is light. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; Revelation 21:23).

[Isaiah 64] Let’s talk about heaven. Are you excited about heaven? If there was a bus going to heaven today, would you be willing to jump on board and go home? Many people claim to want to go to heaven, but few people want to go right now. Over and over, I have heard the attitude, “I want to go to heaven, I just don’t want to go right now.” My question is, “Why not?” What would be wrong with going home today or tomorrow? Is this world so great that the thought of leaving it is depressing? Paul quoted Isiah, “…Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). I’m afraid many people picture heaven as a monotonous place where all we are going to do is sit around and worship God. Yes, we are going to worship in heaven (Revelation 5:11-14; 7:9-12) and our worship is going to be the most amazing worship we have ever been a part of. However, heaven is going to be so much more than our hearts and minds can imagine. Consider a few of the things we will be doing in heaven: * SERVE GOD (Revelation 22:3-5) We will be blessed to serve in the very presence of THE Almighty God who made the Earth and everything in it, including everyone who ever lived on the Earth. * REJOICE (Revelation 21:4-5) Heaven is going to be a place of great joy. We will never experience a bad day in heaven. * CELEBRATE (Luke 15:10, 23-24) As in the parable of the Prodigal Son, Heaven will have a big “welcome home” celebration for the children of God. It’s going to be an amazing celebration given by our Heavenly Father acknowledging our faithfulness to His Word throughout our life. * REUNITE (2 Samuel 12:23) In heaven we will be reunited with all of our loved ones who faithfully served God. * REST (Revelation 14:13) We will finally understand what stress free, worry free, sin free, disappointment free, pain free, and suffering free really means. All of that will be gone forever. Heaven isn’t going to be monotonous. Heaven is going to be unlike anything we have ever experienced. Is going to heaven getting you excited? God is there waiting for you and me.

You're Going To Miss Me One Day

 

Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother. The first said, "I built a big house for our mother." The second said," I sent her a Mercedes with a driver.” The third smiled and said, "I've got you, both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000.00 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it." Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: * "Milton," she wrote the first son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house." * "Marvin," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!" * "Dearest Melvin," she wrote to her third son, "You were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. That chicken was delicious."

Jason had misbehaved, so his mother sent him to his room. A brief time later he came out and said to his mother, “I’ve been thinking about what I did, and I said a prayer.” His mother, pleased with his newfound attitude, encouraged his behavior. “That’s wonderful. If you ask God to make you good, I know He will help you.” With grin on his face Jason said, “I didn’t ask God to help me be good – I asked Him to help you put up with me.”

There is simply no way we could ever really thank mother for all she has done for us. She is the one who will be awake all night when we are sick, praying to God to make us well and be ever ready to bear the pain that we may be experiencing. She is the one to wake up early in the morning to prepare the nicest meals and endure all our tantrums. Mothers are the ones who would forever complain that we are not eating enough or not eating right. She did her best to nurture our bodies to grow strong and healthy.

My mother used to always josh us saying, “You’re going to miss me one of these days.” Of course, she was right, again. My mother was born blind in one eye and was legally blind in the other. The loss of her brother in WWII was her first real big storm in life and her strength took her through two years of college. Never one to be defeated, my mother endeavored to enjoy life. She raised four children and a husband, whom she loved and depended on for her every need throughout her adult life. There were bumpy roads and times of turmoil as in any family, and although she found herself nearly deserted once in life, she never gave up. Her family wrestled with illnesses and cancers enough to go all around, but life went on with the support of a wonderful mother. She didn’t always have the answers to every situation, and always exhibited her reliance on the Lord for His guidance to bring her to the next day. Her favorite hymnal song was, “Have Thine Own Way” (Pollard/Stebbins). Seeing the personal things found after her departure, I believe she prayed often for her children, for she clung to little items representing a mile-marker of independence for each child. Never one to stick her nose in the personal business of her adult children she was never far and always available when needed. Yea, I miss her.

[Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3] “…Honor your father and mother …that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” The word honor means to show respect, to reverence, even to hold in awe. What it means to us is, that no matter what our age, we are to hold our mothers in high esteem. The truth is, we honor God by honoring our mothers. My mother is gone on to be with her Lord and now sees Him with new eyes.