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Month: June 2016

Memorial Day

Memorial Day

It was several months after my graduation from Boot Camp in 1968 when my monthly issue of the Marine Corps magazine landed in my mailbox. Several days later I got around to reading it. The articles did not seem as compelling as they did right after graduation from boot camp. For some reason this day I was pulled to the end of the magazine and the “Honor Roll” of those who had given their lives in combat this past month….

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Sharing Mom’s God Moment

Sharing Mom’s God Moment

I was driving down Beach Boulevard yesterday and passed a car with a dog straddling the driver and his head hanging out the window. The dog seemed to be enjoying himself biting at the fresh air. The wind was blowing in his face and his mouth was open, making him appear to be smiling. As I passed the car I could see the driver was smiling also as he sang along to the radio which was loud enough for me…

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Relationship with God

Relationship with God

Immediately after moving out of my parent’s home I wallowed in the joy of freedom of choice. I had always had a curfew and restrictions on where I went and who I went with. There never seemed to be life outside of the church or its activities. The first few weeks were like taking in the cool crisp fresh air of an autumn morning a feeling a burst of energy and sense of excitement for life. I believed I had…

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A gift not received

A gift not received

A number of years ago I had a student that entered one of our ministry schools. He was in his early years of High School and an unusually gifted student. He had studied martial arts previously, so once he learned our techniques I cross certified him to Black Belt in our style. He seemed deeply committed to enhancing his skills and abilities. As a matter of fact he wanted to create his own style of martial arts. I made a…

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Pied Pipers

Pied Pipers

Hamelin, Germany is a fine old medieval town with some remarkable buildings. The city was founded as a monastery in 851 AD. A village grew around the monastery into a neighborhood. By the 12th century it was considered a town.  However, the main attraction of this township is the tale of the Pied Piper. Today marks the anniversary of the Piper leading 130 children out of Hamelin to their deaths.  The incident is said to have happened in 1284 and…

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Peter The Great

Peter The Great

Today in 1682 was the coronation of Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia. At 6’ 8” he stood head and shoulders above his sickly brother Ivan who initially shared the throne after the murders of several relatives until he died in 1696. Despite his size he had disfigurements and is believed to have suffered from petit mal, a form of epilepsy. In spite of his challenges Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia. Western European advisors influenced him to…

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