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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Flag Line

Flag Line
Gill Rapoza
June 16, 2012


Yesterday I had a unique pleasure of participating in a Flag Line at the Imperial California Airport for a fallen soldier, US Army Captain Scott Pace.  Pace lost his life in Afghanistan when his helicopter crashed. 

The thing that made this unique was that those that were on that flag line were all strangers to Capt. Pace, and mostly to one another.  About 25 motorcycles in all arrived in singles and in small groups.  Some had the Patriot Guard Riders < http://patriotguard.org/>stickers on the windshield, and most had large or at least small American flags on them and I saw one with a US Army flag. 

No one among those that showed up were asked if they were in any particular service.  It was not a problem that those who came to stand with them did not have a motorcycle.  I no longer have one but brought my old pick-up truck.  There was a man there called “Gunny”, a long time retired US Marine gunnery sergeant and our ride captain for this event.  Gunny organized us with the idea that we were there to both honor and respect our fallen soldier, Capt. Pace.  During the briefing Gunny asked if there were any Viet Nam vets among us.  Gunny acknowledged them and said some important words they did not all get to hear the first time, “Welcome home.” 

We were allowed onto the tarmac to await the jet and received our final instructions there.  We said the Pledge of Allegiance toward one of the flags, then a friend of mine who is the chaplain for his motorcycle club prayed for us and for the event.  It was just then something happened that I have never seen before took place.  A civilian charter jet made a low pass pretty quickly over the runway.  It turned, made a loop, landed and stopped not far from us. 

We made our flag line ready and waited.  When the coffin was lower from the plane Gunny called us to attention, and barked “Present Arms.”  Those holding flags presented them and those without did a hand salute.  I know we were a rag-tag looking bunch, most of us in our 50s-60s or so.  But we were presenting the best honor we had, and we did it well.  It came from the heart.  We were very pleased to see that Army provided an honor guard, and they did a good job all around. 

Once the Army’s honor guard placed the casket into the funeral car, everyone lined up their motorcycles for a final escort.  A couple of pick-ups and a car took up the rear.  We made a slow ride from the airport to the funeral home in Brawley, Ca.  At every intersection there was at least one police car or motorcycle provided by the Patriot Guard.  At some intersections I saw flags, big ones too.  I saw several people with their hands over their hearts as we passed by.  I saw cars and a couple of trucks from the local utility company that had been going the other way on the highway who had stopped what they were doing.  Some of these took their hats off and I saw some with hands over their hearts as well. At one intersection I saw an older man by the side of the road who stood there in a full attention salute.  As we passed intersections I saw California Highway Patrol and local police in full hand salute. 

We pealed off in Brawley, at the funeral home and Gunny organized another flag line there. 

I had not originally intended on going all the way to Brawley, but I did.  The idea of honoring one of our fallen all the way to the end made an impact on me.  If I did not see it through I would have missed much.  I saw what real honor looks like! 

Godspeed,

Gill Rapoza
Veritas Vos Liberabit
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Friday, February 3, 2012

Are We Nearly Done?


Are We Nearly Done?
Gill Rapoza
February 3, 2012

This will be another of those feedback articles that I write every so often.  This is basically a single reply to some of the emails I get from the members and from others of late.  And you are welcome to continue if you like.  I enjoy the responses to what I post. 

The themes of some of what I get sent my way come in the form of both questions and opinions is often interesting for me too.  It gives me a chance to read more on some subjects and look up stuff I might not have otherwise though about.  It is often educational for me. 

I will sum up an on-again, off-again topic.  The question of what will become of our nation(?) is on again.  Some are fairly concerned, and I include myself in that group.  Some figure we are strong enough of a nation that we will be able to see it through nearly anything.  Some think that we are God’s country, that we are a Christian nation, and He will keep us from all harm. 

Here is my version of what puts me in that concerned group.  It has everything to do with our national relationship with God Almighty. 

I believe America was built upon Christian principles, at least early on.  I also believe that many Americans who are or at least claim the title of Christian have the impression that this is God’s special country and nothing awfully bad is going to happen here.  Really???  If you think that, today is the day you may want to think again. 

Just because we were built upon Godly principles, it does not mean we have kept them.  We did not.  So let that go.  God blessed America when we were (1) sharing and living the Gospel here, AND (2) sending missionaries all over the world to further the Good News. 

The second one first (2), sending missionaries.  We do not do that well so much any more.  Some of you sent me a link or even whole articles on how Wycliff is now publishing a “Bible” where God is called allah, and the word “Son” was removed so they don’t offend Muslims.  This is disgusting.  The One Lord God in Heaven is NOT allah the moon rock.  They need to stop translating Bibles and now and stop sending missionaries anyplace until they get that right.  In the mean time they compromise the work that they should be doing.  I would not send them one nickel so long as they operate as they do. 

There are several groups that have done similar.  They have a “muslimized gospel” so as to “not offend” them.  Jesus said to go out into all of the world teaching what He taught.  Watering it down to call God by a pagan name was not one of those teachings.  Paul, the “Apostle to the Gentiles” never told the Romans or Greeks to use Zeus or Apollo when referring to God or the gospel either. 

Our local church no longer supports at least a couple of the former “mission” groups.  These groups have made it clear enough that the gospel might get preached, but that they were more interested in local and international issues as well as “seeking global change.”  That is nice, but they have forgotten their first love.  We still send out missionaries from this nation.  Not so many who tell of the real gospel as before.  God still blesses those that do the work of the true gospel and for those that support them as they can.  God will change the globe enough to suit Him in time.  We are to speak of the death and resurrection of Christ and what that means in eternity to each individual.  We are to talk of salvation and damnation.  We are not to go out and make them feel better.  That was never the message. 

The nation is not as interested any longer in sending out the gospel.  We now send more in the form of troops to “teach” other nations how to be a good democracy than what the Church used to send to teach the Good News.  I got some news.  America is not and never was a democracy.  Other nations do not change because we want them to be like us and call it democracy.  Troops never make anyone want to be like the ones who sent them.  If we need to fight a good fight with our troops, and that certainly has happened before and may again, then let me do all I can to support that effort, and let us give the enemy all the fire we got.  That means to win, not make friends and change ideologies. 

That brings us back to the first point (1), sharing and living the Gospel here.  When we are a nation that kills 50 million of our own unborn for convenience, we can stop saying this is a Christian nation.  This has been going on for decades now.  Christians do not run this nation.  If it were true, the abortions would be nearly zero annually, not about 50,000,000 in total. 

There may be very many Christians in the nation, and God alone knows how many while the rest of us only guess or estimate.  That does not make us a Christian nation.  When our most populous churches are led by heretics, apostates, and soft spoken ear ticklers, then we should question that so many American people even want true Christianity here.  We have heretics, nitwits, lesbians, effeminate what-evers, and Christ deniers not only in the pulpits, but they teach in what we once thought were many Christian colleges and seminaries.  That means that Scriptural denial is now professionally taught where it should never be.  It is not commonly known, but most of the old universities we have, such as Harvard, were founded as Christian schools and seminaries.  Now you have to watch some that still claim they are too. 

Look at those we as a nation elect to the top offices of our nation.  Look closely and see if you can figure out how many are Christian.  I will make it easier seeing that is not a simple question.  See how many seem to be compatible with Christianity.  How about the guy at the top?  He sure seems to be more of a Muslim sympathizer (or member) and a communist lover than Christian friendly.  In the Senate?  Out of the 100 members, can you name many, or any that have stood up and said we must stop the un-Godly abortions in this nation?  I do no recall any.  How about the 435 members of the House of Representatives?  Have any of them done that there?  None come to my mind there either, though I think there might have been a couple some time back.  Hopefully you did better in naming them.  And who voted these people into office?  It does not seem to be a Christian majority that I can figure.  If it was then we were deceived and perhaps willfully so. 

We can look at other legislative, executive, or judicial events, particularly of late and ask if this is Christian.  A whole group of states are mandating “gay marriage” (there is no such thing BTW), legislatively with Washington being the latest to give it a go.  The present governor of New York and the then governor of Massachusetts both said at different times they were going with this.  One is a Catholic and the other a Mormon, who both say they are Christian.  Actions speak louder than words.  In the states of Hawaii, New Jersey, and Illinois there have been judges who have ruled recently that it matters not that churches there do not sanction any such thing as “gay marriage,” they will be required to do so “under the law” or face consequences. 

Are these the actions of a Christian nation?  We do not even have to go into the latest that the elected president said about the “requirement” of churches and religious groups to provide free abortion and contraceptive insurance to their staff.  All of the above were voted in by somebody, or else they were appointed by those who were elected.  Who are all those people that said all of these things were OK? 

While you ponder all of these things, perhaps you could keep in mind that the Brits once thought similar, that they were God’s people and nation.  Here is some more news.  Britannia no longer rules the waves and the sun does now set on her former empire.  We as a nation are heading down that same path as the rest of the world.  Depending on who is in leadership, or the lack there of, this path will lead to our own ruin.  We may remain here as a nation, but it will likely be a shell of our former self. 

I firmly believe God will use those who do His will for His own glory, and then bless them for it.  We may last 10 or 20 years like this, then wake up and discover we have been downgraded such as the Brits have been, or worse that we became like Greece or Portugal, barely able to hang on and always at the edge of destruction. 

Will God pick another nation?  He surely might.  God can use any nation to further His purposes.  He might surprise all of us and choose one we never expected.  No one ever expected America to become what she once was.  But we did. 

It is time for the bottom line stuff. 

You must be prepared.  I am not talking about just the usual prep stuff you get from me fairly often.  That is important too, but it takes a back seat to what I have next. 

I mean there comes a time where we should less than ever depend on ANY government to save ANYONE.  I love our nation, and long may our stars and stripes wave, but we have a personal responsibility to fix our relationship with God first, if it is lacking.  Then we pray for our nation and ask God to extend His mercy just a little longer.  Remember this.  God sometimes delivers nations, but He only saves individuals! 

Christianity means this: All people, including all individuals have failed to do as God requires.  He requires perfection.  Knowing that we all have been unsuccessful in that, He had Jesus pay the ultimate price for our sake.  He requires a repentant heart, and a new nature.  He provided those too.  That is what Jesus’ death and resurrection were for. 

I encourage you to think on the terms of no matter what happens here to our own nation, that we must be right with God first.  If enough do so in time, and I know it seems doubtful, then perhaps God will extend His time of mercy toward this country.  And if He still says “enough, done,” then we will still be where He would have us. 

So what was that first question, “Are We Nearly Done (and what will become of our nation)?  Yes, nearly I think, but not necessarily.  Pray for your own salvation if you have not done so, then those around you, and your nation.  Then see what God would have you do next. 

Godspeed,

Gill Rapoza
Veritas Vos Liberabit
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