God Bless America! -- and He has

You may have noticed (hopefully) that I end every blog with "God Bless America." That's okay, almost everybody says that. We sing for God to bless America. We pray it in our churches, at civic meetings and on and on. This morning I was thinking about that as I drove to my office and it came to me, "God has already blessed America." I want you to consider some of the ways in which The Almighty, Jehovah, Allah, The Great I Am, or any other name you might use for God has blessed this "home of the brave and land of the free."

America has just elected the first Black president and there were not riots, no towns on fire, no militia in the streets. It was a democratic election and the majority spoke. Look were we have come. I mentioned it in a previous blog, but just 40 years ago there were race riots taking place in this country as blacks struggled for equality. People died during this turbulent time, but not so today. Our children are growing up "color blind." And God has blessed America. We have come so far in the short history of this nation. The civil war was primarily a race issue. The white land owners in the south wanted to continue the use of slaves while the north argued for their emancipation. Brothers fought against brothers, but in this year we have elected a Black man as President of the United States. I voted against Barack Obama and I did all I could to convince others to do the same, but not because of the color of his skin. I argued against many of his plans and positions, but I am proud that we have traveled so far that a black family is going to occupy the White House. God has already blessed America!

We are going to have a peaceful transition of power, something that the vast majority of nations does not understand. In many countries the current government uses fear and violence to prevent others from taking over. Some presidents simply extend their term of office. But not so in this country. President George W. Bush is going to hand over the power to President Elect Barack H. Obama on January 20 without this nation skipping a beat. God has so blessed America!

In this country, bloggers and politically active persons such as myself can criticize our President, our Senators, Representatives and can even say pretty tough things about them. Nobody is going to censor my blogs or arrest me for speaking my opinion. Now that Barack Obama has been elected the FBI isn't going to rush in and arrest me because I called him a Marxist. Tell me, don't you believe that God has already blessed America.

As I drove to my office this morning I saw field after field that just a week ago held enough corn to feed the world. The soy beans that were there a month ago can provide enough nutrition to save tens of thousands of lives in countries where there is a famine. I saw two deer standing in a pasture next to a herd of cattle. They were actually eating the same grass. I see pheasants, turkey, eagles and all sorts of wildlife on a daily basis. My friends, God has already blessed America.

But PLEASE do not take it for granted. God has blessed us in so many ways, but let's pray we never become blind to the blessings. Last evening while driving back from Lincoln on highway 34 my "low tire pressure" light came on. I didn't think much about it and nearly didn't even stop. But I was only about 6 miles from Seward so when I got into town I pulled in under some lights and saw that my left front tire was nearly flat. I found a station with an air hose and I tried to fill it, but the air was going out as fast as I put it in. So, I grumbled as I got that "donut" tire out of the trunk and changed the tire. But it occured to me that God blessed me by getting me into town on concrete under lights rather that on a dark highway with a muddy shoulder. You see, that's a personal blessing but as with our corporate blessings we can grumble and complain and when something good happens say, "Man that was lucky," or we can realize that GOD HAS ALREADY BLESSED US!!

Take just a moment to think how God has blessed this nation. Then ask how God, through us, can bless another people. Think about Barack and Michelle Obama and ask God to bless them. Think about George and Laura Bush and ask God to bless them. And, since this is a conservative blog and I need to insert some attempt at humor, think about the Republicans and ask God to bless them in two years and four years. Okay, that was a feeble attempt. But this is a great land, a free land regardless of color, national origin or religious beliefs. This is the land of the brave where black, brown, and white all fight together as one. God has blessed America indeed.

God Bless You and God Bless America! and He has.

Don't Forget To Say Thank You To A Vet!

Let us Never Forget
Their Service

Veteran's Day

Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.
Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free.

Many of you who are reading this are veterans and I want you to know that I am forever grateful for your service. I recently sold an item on Ebay and when payment came it was just like all other transactions. But through further communication with the purchaser I learned the young woman was on active duty in Iraq. I wrote to thank her from one veteran to another for what she was doing to preserve freedom for America and from a struggling democracy. Her reply, which since I don't have her permission, brought tears to my eyes as I realized the courage, dedication and devotion this young sergeant possessed. She wrote back thanking all who had previously served this one nation under God. That's the way true veterans are. They don't think of their service as something they need to be thanked for. Their motivation is much greater than that.

I remember as a boy looking at my dad's campaign ribbons and medals, still pinned to an old uniform hanging in the basement. Dad never said much about WWII. I would ask him about it and he usually told me a funny story, but never talked about what he saw or about the buddies who didn't come home. Dad has been gone for about seven years, but to this day I still communicate with one of his last surviving "Army Buddies." He has told me more than dad ever did. And he sent me some pictures of dad that I had never seen. I framed those and put them on the wall where I see them first thing every morning when I come downstairs. I see him in that uniform and a sense of pride comes across me and my heart swells.

I have a lot of friends who went through Vietnam. I was never deployed overseas and for a long time I felt a great sense of disappointment and some shame, although I know I shouldn't. In fact, I felt that way until last week in Denver. There was a gentleman who I spotted. He was jolly, cared deeply about others and I marked him as a pastor. Finally, on my last day I went over to him and asked if he was clergy. He asked what made me think that. I replied that I could see God with him when he walked in, I could see Christ in him as he talked to paid staff members and encouraged them. He shared with me how he had felt a strong call to the ministry and then he was drafted and sent to Vietnam where he served as a medic. He said that when he came home he didn't like people very much and so he never pursued his calling and felt badly about that, but had seen too much. I told him that I was clergy and always felt bad that I hadn't been deployed. He said, don't feel bad, but thank God. At that point we hugged, two men in a crowded room. No words were spoken and none needed to be. He was my pastor that day and I was his. Two veterans hugging with a quiet sense of what it meant to serve.

I could go on with stories I have heard. I could tell you about how Vietnam veterans were not greeted as heros. I could tell you about veterans I have ministered to who to this day cannot talk about what they saw....World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and all the other wars. I could tell you about men and women who were just teenagers when they were given a weapon, a uniform and orders to a combat zone. But I don't need to tell their stories. Our freedom as Americans tell it loud and clear. We just went through an election that in many countries would have involved riots and killing, but not so here because of our veterans.

Several years ago I adopted a policy that I would like to encourage you to do. I never see a man or woman in uniform without going over to them and saying thank you for their service. Please do that also. It means so much to them, although they will generally just say, "It's my pleasure." Tomorrow is Veteran's Day and I encourage you to join me in saying thank you to all our veterans. And whatever you are doing tomorrow at 11 a.m. stop and say a prayer. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

Thank you my brothers and sisters for what you have done, for what you do and for why you do it.

God Bless You and God Bless America!