Wow. I was sitting in my truck this morning and one block ahead I see flags, soldiers, children, and a marching band moving across the intersection. How great is that?
I have not written in a couple months (and neither have YOU!) so there is much to share. Of course I will do this bit by bit over the next few weeks. I offer no excuses here - just good solid reasons for being a little absent from this blog.
Busy serving, discerning, living... you know, being a husband and father, plus home and mobile home upkeep, travel, and tons of other things.
More observations, more insight from conversation with other men. Dads, Priests, Single, Divorced, Married, Separated, Soldiers, Officers, and Civilians like me.
Any of us who have fought the fight of every man, the fight to remain pure, the decision to keep our promises as we live our vows, to remain faithful, the commitment to walk forward on the path of holiness...
I salute you all.
Soldiers who depend totally on uniform or title to gloss over a lack of integrity actually dishonor the uniform and title. Soldiers who are doing everything they can to keep family together, keep their hearts open to God, maintain some kind of balance in an unbalanced world, and still foster hope within are some of the most valiant people I have ever met.
Today we hold up the men and women who have served in the armed forces. I recently offered music and stories to the families at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. Wish I had a few hours to write about all that I observed.
For instance, I noticed something about military families; they are well aware of the reality of battle and it helps them avoid much of the small-talk gossip that poisons other communities. Yes, it is still there, but to a much lesser degree than I've seen in some areas of civilian culture.
One story of the ongoing battle for most of us men: During a visit to Langley AFB in Virginia, I am driving the rental car to my hotel when a big wave of temptation knocks me upside the head. I shake my head and think how weird it is to have that happen so suddenly and with such force. It alerts me to proceed carefully.
I open the door to my room and there atop the TV is a sign that reads something like: "This TV offers bad movies. To block access to these bad movies, you must call the front desk and request that they be blocked." So I called the front desk and said, "What a stupid temptation to have such movies available! Please block them."
Victory won! Wow that was easy. No... wait a second... what's this? Hmmmm looks like someone left a triple X DVD (bad movie) in here and room service did not find it.
I hold the triple X DVD in my hand for one dark moment then I take it out to the balcony, drop it onto the concrete ledge and, stepping on it, grind it back and forth into oblivion.
Bigger victory! I almost want to keep the pulverized DVD as a sort of war trophy but some filth is so disgusting it just needs to be buried.
How goes your battle, men? Be strong. Be faithful. Be genuine. And to those of you who have already fought in a war, you are in the thoughts and prayers of many men and women around the world. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for encouraging me and others to fight the good fight and never give up.
