Avalon Chronicles #72: "Desmond Doss-The Rest of the Story"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
In the course of a conversation at a recent luncheon with some of my veteran friends, the discussion related to the movie Hacksaw Ridge, about which I have written a previous message. One of my friends in 2002 had been the deputy commander of Army troops on Okinawa and found out the island Marines were hosting Desmond Doss, the Medal of Honor Recipient and real live hero of the movie. Been quizzical about how that occurred since Doss was an Army veteran, he inquired and I guess it related to the inordinately efficient Marine public relations influence that they were selected to host Doss. Not withstanding that sponsorship, he became involved with the visit.
Public Broadcasting System was filming a documentary on the action of Doss wherein he received his Medal of Honor for his heroism at the battle in 1945. Doss, his company commander from the battle, and three company mates and their spouses were flown to Okinawa. PBS also found three Japanese veterans who lived on the island, amazingly enough one of whom had been in the same battle in which Desmond Doss moved across the body-strewn battlefield to treat the American wounded soldiers and get them over to a rope system to lower them down the cliff to medical care.
The Japanese soldier who had been in the battle, met Doss and said he knew who he was from the battle! The Japanese soldier said he was a sniper and had picked off and killed several American wounded and related he had had Doss in his sights THREE times to shoot him, but his rifle JAMMED each time!
Doss said very simply, "It was not my time." There was definitely a supernatural intervention by God on behalf of Doss, who continued tirelessly with what could be defined only as a supernaturally gifted physical and emotional strength to go after "One More" brother each time he returned to the battlefield on the ridge top.
If we truly believe the salvation message for eternity after bodily death that is offered by faith in Jesus, we must accept that, when it is our time, it is our time. I have faced a few perils on a battlefield and in medical issues, but believe I will live until I have served my mission on earth just as Doss lived with a much more important mission with his fellow combatants that night, My mission today, for which I constantly request the blessings of our Lord, is to have those "divine encounters" that place me in the paths of my younger veterans today so that I can be a "laborer of the harvest" for their soulful and spiritual healing just as Doss was put in the paths of his comrades for bodily healing.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Avalon Chronicles #71: 'Land of the Free Because of the Brave"
Avalon Chronicles #71: "Land of the Free Because of the Brave"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
Quoted from Streams in the Desert October 25
"During the American Civil War, a certain man had a son who enlisted in the Union army. The father was a banker and although he gave his consent to his son, it seemed as if it would break his heart to let him go.
Once his son had left, he became deeply interested in the plight of soldiers, and whenever he saw one in uniform, his heart went out to him as he thought of his own dear boy. Often to the neglect of his business, he began spending his time and money to care for the soldiers who came home disabled. His friends pleaded with him not to neglect his business in this way, by spending so much time and energy on the soldiers. So he decided to give it all up, taking his friends' advice.
After he had made this decision, however, a young private in a faded, worn uniform stepped into his bank. It was easy to discern from the wounds on his face and hands that he had been in the army field hospital. The poor young man was fumbling in his pocket to find something, when the banker saw him. Perceiving his purpose for coming into the bank , he said to the soldier, 'My dear man, I cannot help you today. I am extremely busy. You will have to go to the army headquarters, where the officers will take care of you.'
The poor wounded soldier still stood there, not seeming to fully understand what was being said to him. He continued to fumble in his pockets and finally pulled out a scrap of dirty paper. He laid the filthy page before the banker, who read the following words written in pencil:
'Dear father,
This is one of my friends, who was wounded in the last battle and is coming to you directly from the hospital. Please receive him as you would me.
Charlie'
All the banker's previous resolve to focus solely on his business instead of soldiers quickly flew away. He took the young man to his own magnificent home and gave him Charlie's room and seat at the dinner table. He cared for him until the food, rest, and love had returned him to health, and then sent him back to his place of service to again risk his life for his country's flag."
We cannot all serve in the armed forces of our nation possibly on dangerous earthly battlefields, but, we all can arm ourselves for the spiritual battlefields of our lives by putting on the "Full Armor of God." Ephesians 6:17 (KJV).
After he had made this decision, however, a young private in a faded, worn uniform stepped into his bank. It was easy to discern from the wounds on his face and hands that he had been in the army field hospital. The poor young man was fumbling in his pocket to find something, when the banker saw him. Perceiving his purpose for coming into the bank , he said to the soldier, 'My dear man, I cannot help you today. I am extremely busy. You will have to go to the army headquarters, where the officers will take care of you.'
The poor wounded soldier still stood there, not seeming to fully understand what was being said to him. He continued to fumble in his pockets and finally pulled out a scrap of dirty paper. He laid the filthy page before the banker, who read the following words written in pencil:
'Dear father,
This is one of my friends, who was wounded in the last battle and is coming to you directly from the hospital. Please receive him as you would me.
Charlie'
All the banker's previous resolve to focus solely on his business instead of soldiers quickly flew away. He took the young man to his own magnificent home and gave him Charlie's room and seat at the dinner table. He cared for him until the food, rest, and love had returned him to health, and then sent him back to his place of service to again risk his life for his country's flag."
We cannot all serve in the armed forces of our nation possibly on dangerous earthly battlefields, but, we all can arm ourselves for the spiritual battlefields of our lives by putting on the "Full Armor of God." Ephesians 6:17 (KJV).
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Avalon Chronicles #70: "Fallen From Grace"
Avalon Chronicles #70: "Fallen From Grace"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2:16 (KJV)
Linda and I are five episodes of ten through a new Netflix series, "The Crown," relating the stories of the United Kingdom's current royal family. Of course, there is related the abdication of Queen Elizabeth's uncle due to the desire to marry a twice-divorced American, the flirtations of Princess Margaret with married Group Captain Townsend, political machinations in the premiership of Winston Churchill, and tradeoffs at the highest levels of the British Empire. Presumably, ahead for our viewing "pleasure," are the shenanigans and falling from grace of Prince Charles, Prince Albert, Princess Anne, divorces, and the "mysterious" death of Diana. However, I am struck by the "dignity" of the life of future Queen Elizabeth II and her father, King George VI. One of the most poignant scenes is that of her father rehearsing with a young Elizabeth, prior to his own coronation, the sacred anointing with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury by the application to the forehead, the heart, and the palm, (the soul, the spirit, and the body) with the sign of the cross. Episode five ends with the same ceremony for the new queen in Westminster Abbey. This all represents assuredly the merging of church and state in what was once the most powerful position in the world.
Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution make clear our own founding was based upon separation of church and state. Our nation originally was founded by "escapees" from the intolerance of the Church of England. These adherents of a sincere belief in our God ruling their lives came upon our shores for freedom from the monarchies and oppressions of Europe. Our colonists picked up pitchforks and muskets and succeeded in our Revolution with securing freedom from the ancestors of the royalty of "The Crown." Who cannot be reminded of the dignity of a George Washington, becoming our first president, a leader in a position, which arguably would eventually be considered the most powerful position in the world, the leader of our own American Empire?
On November 8, 2016 we again will pick from one of two candidates to become our president, the most powerful position in the world. Whereas our examples have been the dignity of a George Washington and a Queen Elizabeth II, we are confronted today in our election with claims, counterclaims and charges of "misogyny, liar, abuser, criminal, divorced, corrupt, treason, traitor, sexting, illegitimate son, lesbianism, 'orgy island,' temperamental, 'play for pay,' obstruction of justice, coarse language, illegal contributions." Have I missed anything? Ah, yes, add "murder, adultery, pedophilia, bribery, access peddling, a porn star, nude modeling!" It is sickening! How far have we "Fallen From Grace?" I am distinctly saddened and appalled at the depths to which the standards of our Lord, that He has laid out for us in no uncertain terms in the Holy Scriptures, have descended! Americans will wake up on November 9, 2016 and almost half will be devastated at the choice determined and a few more will be elated that their candidate won. However, our great America, the land of the free because of the brave will have lost and "Fallen From Grace."
What can we as individuals do? Where does this election put us? It puts us individually to aspire to seek the example of the words of John in Revelation 1:6 (KJV):
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."
Admittedly this was written to describe what we are to be in eternity in the Kingdom of God, but I submit we can strive to reflect this in our lives today. The Abingdon Bible Commentary (Abingdon Press 1929) footnotes the passage thusly,"...Individually they are priests having access through His Blood into the Holy of Holies, offering living, reasonable, and spiritual sacrifices, making intercession for all men." The intercession must be extended by us to all in authority. They need it!
The footnote in (KJV) for Hebrews 13:15 indicates, "A sacrifice of praise today would include thanking Christ for His sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it."
As citizens of this great land, America, with our magnificent contributions to the world and with the majority of us striving mightily to live by standards in our faith and to reflect dignity, we must pick up where the political world has let us down. In the 1980s I attended a Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge dinner in Dallas, honoring a Highland Park school teacher. I recall only one thing she said, "If it is to be, it is up to me." We each have a responsibility to speak positive words and to be loyal to God. We can be part of a Second Revolution, a spiritual one. The question I ask myself is, "If not I, who? If not now, when?"
This is a worthy prayer: "In the Name of Jesus, I commit myself from this day forward to live by the Word of God, to live by my faith, and to live by the love of God." The country is pretty far gone, but we need not personally be so!!! We can, in military parlance, "Prep the landing zone," to be prepared for Christ's return.
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2:16 (KJV)
Linda and I are five episodes of ten through a new Netflix series, "The Crown," relating the stories of the United Kingdom's current royal family. Of course, there is related the abdication of Queen Elizabeth's uncle due to the desire to marry a twice-divorced American, the flirtations of Princess Margaret with married Group Captain Townsend, political machinations in the premiership of Winston Churchill, and tradeoffs at the highest levels of the British Empire. Presumably, ahead for our viewing "pleasure," are the shenanigans and falling from grace of Prince Charles, Prince Albert, Princess Anne, divorces, and the "mysterious" death of Diana. However, I am struck by the "dignity" of the life of future Queen Elizabeth II and her father, King George VI. One of the most poignant scenes is that of her father rehearsing with a young Elizabeth, prior to his own coronation, the sacred anointing with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury by the application to the forehead, the heart, and the palm, (the soul, the spirit, and the body) with the sign of the cross. Episode five ends with the same ceremony for the new queen in Westminster Abbey. This all represents assuredly the merging of church and state in what was once the most powerful position in the world.
Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution make clear our own founding was based upon separation of church and state. Our nation originally was founded by "escapees" from the intolerance of the Church of England. These adherents of a sincere belief in our God ruling their lives came upon our shores for freedom from the monarchies and oppressions of Europe. Our colonists picked up pitchforks and muskets and succeeded in our Revolution with securing freedom from the ancestors of the royalty of "The Crown." Who cannot be reminded of the dignity of a George Washington, becoming our first president, a leader in a position, which arguably would eventually be considered the most powerful position in the world, the leader of our own American Empire?
On November 8, 2016 we again will pick from one of two candidates to become our president, the most powerful position in the world. Whereas our examples have been the dignity of a George Washington and a Queen Elizabeth II, we are confronted today in our election with claims, counterclaims and charges of "misogyny, liar, abuser, criminal, divorced, corrupt, treason, traitor, sexting, illegitimate son, lesbianism, 'orgy island,' temperamental, 'play for pay,' obstruction of justice, coarse language, illegal contributions." Have I missed anything? Ah, yes, add "murder, adultery, pedophilia, bribery, access peddling, a porn star, nude modeling!" It is sickening! How far have we "Fallen From Grace?" I am distinctly saddened and appalled at the depths to which the standards of our Lord, that He has laid out for us in no uncertain terms in the Holy Scriptures, have descended! Americans will wake up on November 9, 2016 and almost half will be devastated at the choice determined and a few more will be elated that their candidate won. However, our great America, the land of the free because of the brave will have lost and "Fallen From Grace."
What can we as individuals do? Where does this election put us? It puts us individually to aspire to seek the example of the words of John in Revelation 1:6 (KJV):
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."
Admittedly this was written to describe what we are to be in eternity in the Kingdom of God, but I submit we can strive to reflect this in our lives today. The Abingdon Bible Commentary (Abingdon Press 1929) footnotes the passage thusly,"...Individually they are priests having access through His Blood into the Holy of Holies, offering living, reasonable, and spiritual sacrifices, making intercession for all men." The intercession must be extended by us to all in authority. They need it!
The footnote in (KJV) for Hebrews 13:15 indicates, "A sacrifice of praise today would include thanking Christ for His sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it."
As citizens of this great land, America, with our magnificent contributions to the world and with the majority of us striving mightily to live by standards in our faith and to reflect dignity, we must pick up where the political world has let us down. In the 1980s I attended a Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge dinner in Dallas, honoring a Highland Park school teacher. I recall only one thing she said, "If it is to be, it is up to me." We each have a responsibility to speak positive words and to be loyal to God. We can be part of a Second Revolution, a spiritual one. The question I ask myself is, "If not I, who? If not now, when?"
This is a worthy prayer: "In the Name of Jesus, I commit myself from this day forward to live by the Word of God, to live by my faith, and to live by the love of God." The country is pretty far gone, but we need not personally be so!!! We can, in military parlance, "Prep the landing zone," to be prepared for Christ's return.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Avalon Chronicles #69: "One More"
Avalon Chronicles #69: "One More"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (KJV).
On Nov. 2, 2016 this verse was remembered by me when first quoted by then 2nd. Lt. Bob Dees (later a Major General U.S. Army) upon visiting around 1972-1973 a Bible study in Dallas, led by my classmate Andy Seidel and his wife Gail. Dees spoke about what sustained him spiritually in what may be considered the most physically challenging Army training, Ranger school. It had come to my mind again when there was a gathering of my veteran clan, comprising as it is written in I Chronicles 7:2 (KJV), "...they were valiant men of might in their generation;" Doug, John, Patrick, Don, Woody, Chuck, Hamp, Al, Curtis, Ira, Scott,Hank, Karl, Jess, Wade, Gene, John, Ben, Chris, Lewis, and Steven.
They and other veterans, their spouses, and VA personnel had gathered for a showing of a new movie about to be released Nov. 4, "Hacksaw Ridge," directed by Mel Gibson, who starred in other great movies such as "Braveheart" and "We Were Soldiers." The movie will not soon be forgotten by me. Desert Storm veteran Wade Myers (Ranger-qualified by the way), who organized the showing (with the assistance of Marine Gene Blanton and myself) had his adorable ten year old daughter Sophia lead us in the singing of our National Anthem. And, by the way, no one in the theatre "took a knee."
It was my privilege to introduce the film and these are the words I spoke, not yet even having seen it; "It is not entertaining. The takeaways are faith, courage, inspiration, cameraderie, devotion to duty, and sheer determination to serve the cause of freedom so children like Sophia all over the world can live in freedom. Bow your heads please as I offer a blessing for all those who have lived in and served this land of the free because of the brave." The movie about Medal of Honor Recipient Desmond Doss on Okinawa in 1945 encompassed all of the above attributes and much much more. The Purple Hearters, Combat Medics, and Navy Corpsmen were recognized.
I prayed, "Our Father in Heaven, we come before you in this assembly with gratitude for our great land, for gratitude as the Chronicles in our Bible relate about the valiant men of might in their generations, for our men and women present, who have sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears in faraway lands against enemies of justice and liberty. May our wounds of body, soul, and spirit be healed as we recognize the value of our endeavors. We pray this in the Name of Jesus the Christ. Amen."
The movie commenced with a scene of incredible violence and carnage on that Okinawa battlefield. Violence was all-pervasive throughout the film. Wade Myers, who had personally previously met and conversed with Mel Gibson, said Gibson explained the violence had to be extended to reflect indelibly on the viewers the miraculous nature of the courage exhibited by Doss as he moved through shelling and close by enemy soldiers to carry off the battlefield no less than seventy five wounded Americans. On lighter notes there is a warm romantic appeal in the courting and marriage before his departure of a local nurse.
In 1992 in Tennessee it had been my privilege to meet the "real-life" Desmond Doss at a national cemetery ceremony. How well I recollect the still slight and thin Doss, humble and unassuming. At the beginning of WWII Doss was living in Lynchburg, VA, a devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. He took literally the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" and thus joined the Army, undergirded with a strong conviction of personal faith in his Christian upbringing that he would not go into harms way armed with a rifle. Only a man of strong faith with the power of God within him could have withstood discrimination in the Army because he refused to carry a rifle, sticking to a belief to become a combat medic and "save" rather than "take" lives. He claimed Conscientious Objector status and off he went to the Pacific with the 77th Infantry Division. One must see the movie itself to grasp the extraordinary and perhaps even superhuman feats he accomplished as he evacuated wounded fellow comrade after fellow comrade. Each time he returned to the corpse-strewn battlefield, scarred by shelling, he repeated, "One More." He did not stop until all he found were evacuated.
It is not within the small range of my verbal ability to place in appropriate words the scope of what this film reflects in faith in God, conviction, redemption, forgiveness, and sheer physical courage. One must see the movie for oneself to grasp the message.
Doss' division was the "Statue of Liberty" Division. Mark Alexander of the "Patriot Post" reviewed the film and quoted President Ronald Reagan:
"In 1992, during one of Ronald Reagan's last public addresses, he offered these words about honoring our legacy of freedom: 'My fondest hope for each one of you is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.'"
Our heroic origins have been kept alive and flourished again and again in our nation's history because of the valiant men and women who put their lives on the line to serve in the armed forces of the land of the free because of the brave, the United States of America. Desmond Doss represented the epitome of the attributes that have represented our great America.
My final observation for each of us is, will we individually be that "One More" that believes Jesus is truly the Son of God? Will we take to heart the responsibility to extend the Gospel message to reach that "One More" spiritually to live in Heaven just as Desmond Doss kept saving off the secular battlefield just "One More."
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (KJV).
On Nov. 2, 2016 this verse was remembered by me when first quoted by then 2nd. Lt. Bob Dees (later a Major General U.S. Army) upon visiting around 1972-1973 a Bible study in Dallas, led by my classmate Andy Seidel and his wife Gail. Dees spoke about what sustained him spiritually in what may be considered the most physically challenging Army training, Ranger school. It had come to my mind again when there was a gathering of my veteran clan, comprising as it is written in I Chronicles 7:2 (KJV), "...they were valiant men of might in their generation;" Doug, John, Patrick, Don, Woody, Chuck, Hamp, Al, Curtis, Ira, Scott,Hank, Karl, Jess, Wade, Gene, John, Ben, Chris, Lewis, and Steven.
They and other veterans, their spouses, and VA personnel had gathered for a showing of a new movie about to be released Nov. 4, "Hacksaw Ridge," directed by Mel Gibson, who starred in other great movies such as "Braveheart" and "We Were Soldiers." The movie will not soon be forgotten by me. Desert Storm veteran Wade Myers (Ranger-qualified by the way), who organized the showing (with the assistance of Marine Gene Blanton and myself) had his adorable ten year old daughter Sophia lead us in the singing of our National Anthem. And, by the way, no one in the theatre "took a knee."
It was my privilege to introduce the film and these are the words I spoke, not yet even having seen it; "It is not entertaining. The takeaways are faith, courage, inspiration, cameraderie, devotion to duty, and sheer determination to serve the cause of freedom so children like Sophia all over the world can live in freedom. Bow your heads please as I offer a blessing for all those who have lived in and served this land of the free because of the brave." The movie about Medal of Honor Recipient Desmond Doss on Okinawa in 1945 encompassed all of the above attributes and much much more. The Purple Hearters, Combat Medics, and Navy Corpsmen were recognized.
I prayed, "Our Father in Heaven, we come before you in this assembly with gratitude for our great land, for gratitude as the Chronicles in our Bible relate about the valiant men of might in their generations, for our men and women present, who have sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears in faraway lands against enemies of justice and liberty. May our wounds of body, soul, and spirit be healed as we recognize the value of our endeavors. We pray this in the Name of Jesus the Christ. Amen."
The movie commenced with a scene of incredible violence and carnage on that Okinawa battlefield. Violence was all-pervasive throughout the film. Wade Myers, who had personally previously met and conversed with Mel Gibson, said Gibson explained the violence had to be extended to reflect indelibly on the viewers the miraculous nature of the courage exhibited by Doss as he moved through shelling and close by enemy soldiers to carry off the battlefield no less than seventy five wounded Americans. On lighter notes there is a warm romantic appeal in the courting and marriage before his departure of a local nurse.
In 1992 in Tennessee it had been my privilege to meet the "real-life" Desmond Doss at a national cemetery ceremony. How well I recollect the still slight and thin Doss, humble and unassuming. At the beginning of WWII Doss was living in Lynchburg, VA, a devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. He took literally the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" and thus joined the Army, undergirded with a strong conviction of personal faith in his Christian upbringing that he would not go into harms way armed with a rifle. Only a man of strong faith with the power of God within him could have withstood discrimination in the Army because he refused to carry a rifle, sticking to a belief to become a combat medic and "save" rather than "take" lives. He claimed Conscientious Objector status and off he went to the Pacific with the 77th Infantry Division. One must see the movie itself to grasp the extraordinary and perhaps even superhuman feats he accomplished as he evacuated wounded fellow comrade after fellow comrade. Each time he returned to the corpse-strewn battlefield, scarred by shelling, he repeated, "One More." He did not stop until all he found were evacuated.
It is not within the small range of my verbal ability to place in appropriate words the scope of what this film reflects in faith in God, conviction, redemption, forgiveness, and sheer physical courage. One must see the movie for oneself to grasp the message.
Doss' division was the "Statue of Liberty" Division. Mark Alexander of the "Patriot Post" reviewed the film and quoted President Ronald Reagan:
"In 1992, during one of Ronald Reagan's last public addresses, he offered these words about honoring our legacy of freedom: 'My fondest hope for each one of you is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.'"
Our heroic origins have been kept alive and flourished again and again in our nation's history because of the valiant men and women who put their lives on the line to serve in the armed forces of the land of the free because of the brave, the United States of America. Desmond Doss represented the epitome of the attributes that have represented our great America.
My final observation for each of us is, will we individually be that "One More" that believes Jesus is truly the Son of God? Will we take to heart the responsibility to extend the Gospel message to reach that "One More" spiritually to live in Heaven just as Desmond Doss kept saving off the secular battlefield just "One More."
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