Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

It is very late, but every once in awhile my mind becomes so full of thoughts, that it is quite necessary for me to do my best in putting them down in words for my own sake…That while I may have a thought in my head, the writing is an exercise to see if I can complete that thought with a point, and write to a purpose.

Tonight I decided to explore battles, war, fighting and such. My thoughts took me to the battle of Normandy, and thus I decided to google it. (yay google) When researching, I found two interesting stories, by which I would to like underscore with a potential lesion.

The first was this story:When the forces came to the beach they were told it was imperative that they keep moving, despite the intensity of the barrage. The worst thing they could do was to stand still. "Don't just stay there and hug the ground. Keep moving even under a rain of bullets or there will be left only two kinds of people. The dead and the about to be dead."
What a lesson that is for a time when the Gospel is under attack. We must keep moving. Questions abound, mockery reigns, culture is filled with confusion. There is a cloud of cynicism hanging over us. We dare not stand back and hug the ground. We dare not sit back and become immobilized. We must move forward.

The second:One of the tactics the allies used when they descended onto the French countryside was lifelike rubber dummies that were attached to parachutes. Hundreds of these fake solders were dropped to draw German fire. Many spent precious ammunition on these descending solders, not knowing that they were shooting at rubber dummies.I wonder when we stand before God, whether the most embarrassing moment may be when we see how much of our time is wasted shooting at rubber dummies, how much energy we expended on distracting issues, while the real plunder was taking place elsewhere.

And two last thoughts…sort of attached, but still rather random.

Thought one: Hope is to be inseparable from death. May we never forget the heart of the Gospel, which is the cross of Jesus Christ. Indeed, in all of our hope, let us not forget the death. The death on the Cross.

Thought two: Struggle is inseparable from triumph. Yes, these are hard days. And in reality, this is nothing new. Therefore, I also believe that somehow in the midst of all of this, God is still going to help us to look to the glorious possibilities.He has placed me here. He is giving an audience that will make a world of a difference some day…or so I pray…

Sunday, July 15, 2007