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You guys are starting to sound like PackPride!
Yes, I am PCUSA, but those two fags that want to sit in the middle are being watched very carefully…If they kiss, I’ll be a Methodist again…My wife and I compromised in the Pres Church before we understood this schism in the Pres Church. I was Methodist, she was a convoluted Baptist/Episcopal(cause her parents couldn’t agree and went to church on Hillsborough St where they could ride together and then walk across the street to their respective churches),
Believe me I’ve put my wife on notice and if our local church steps in the wrong direction, I’ll be anything but a PCUSA. I don’t wear a tie to church and only wear a coat when it’s cold enough and that’s rare.
As long as these women want to cook and do the children’s sermon, I’m ok…But if the two guys want to do that…NOT!
"Whomp 'em, Up, Side the Head"!
The War Prayer
by Mark Twain
1904It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and sputtering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spreads of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles, beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpouring of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.
It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety’s sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came – next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their faces alight with material dreams-visions of a stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! – then home from the war, bronzed heros, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation – “God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!”
Then came the “long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was that an ever – merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory.
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher’s side and stood there, waiting.
With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal,”Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!”
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside – which the startled minister did – and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said
“I come from the Throne – bearing a message from Almighty God!” The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. “He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd and grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import – that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of – except he pause and think.
“God’s servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two – one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of His Who hearth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this – keep it in mind. If you beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
“You have heard your servant’s prayer – the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it – that part which the pastor, and also you in your hearts, fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: ‘Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!’ That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory – must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
“O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle – be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(After a pause)
“Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits.”
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”Not commenting on why I might be putting this up here or in reference to who it might pertain.
Could be one side, could be the other. Could be both, and the third side.
Not very optimistic, in any case.
Thank you, 3P and redwolf87, for thought provoking passages. I have a passage that rather excites me, Senate Bill 155. It is the bill proposing Sunday Brunch replete with Bloody Marys at 10am!Yea!
Personally, I don’t think the bill goes far enough, as it doesn’t cover store sales, or legal weed, but the liquor lobbyists sure won’t push that agenda.
B’rer ‘Roo reportedly has been seen this morning parking the Red&White ROOMOBILE in a State Parking Lot on West Jones Street….
Details to follow….
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!Matthew 6
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11
Give us this day our daily bread.
12
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.BotB,
You obviously need to pay your sources MORE or perhaps get better face ID software. I DO know WHOM has a very luxurious and well equipped “Packmobile” as I do frequent, as a guest….not a wandering, uninvited, grazer his CF FB functions. He IS more conservative and outspoken on matters such as Invocations PRIOR to each major WP Game, Respect for the National Anthem (NO RED or WP ad libs) and DEFINITELY was vocal about the alleged escapades of oru former BB Coach (hint…not LOW or Herb or Sendek).
I have gone clandestine….passed on a BLACK SUV and look more like a soccer mom, save the WP tag and Hitch cover.
I assume that you are referring to the dog and pony or the “Merlin” show that is dominating the biased and unnerved MSM. HB2 REPEALED….WORSE YET…or HB142 is SALVATION….let the Games Begin…. Is that your reference?
All parties have reasons to Applaud and Jeer will really KNOW if it is a fair deal when Rev BB starts a Hunger Strike against HB142. Some of the “really oppressed….look at me in my colorful outfits and halloween garb” (and their BOTS) are flooding the ‘NET.
Personally it is OH WELL….what will ORW say about it? Since he did not even have a 10 YO’s understanding of HB2, then he should definitely speak out.
WILL there be a Banner erected (bad choice in this arena) with ORW picture and HB2 (with the Red Circle and Diagonal Bar)? UNC Fans vote YES….LGBTQX will protest and hold votive candle vigils and perhaps burn ORW in effigy.
Don’t know….back to packing. Going to Vegas for a little R&R with BDW. Have a date at a Vette Driving School on Monday. Hope I am in one piece after it on Tuesday PM when we have our “Top Gun” driver graduation and that my CC is NOT littered with “Front End Alignment” or “Deductible” charges.
Will ask the folks there and later on in Death Valley if they support HB142 or HB2. Sounds more like a vitamin supplement to me.
BTW, my personal attorneys ARE looking into using my “handle”, which is copyrighted, without authorization. May bring legal action (if I get hit with big Uh Oh Charges at the school) against the perp that opened the forum and also any negative posters and also the site owners. Do We Sue M & How, LLP has a FINE track record… Doing a financial assessment of each potential defendants’ financial resources and the likelyhood of a favorable ruling. Will have to find a Chub Sewell type (or JH) activist Judge and let him enhance my retirement.
Keep Plowing and Planting….
^I guess that qualifies as a “Solid Denial”…
I’ll speak to my unpaid CIDs…
Sorry for the confusion…Old Farmer said…
“You’ll never harvest if you don’t Plow and Plant…”
Old Farmer also said…
“Plant more seeds than you need plants… ’cause it’s easier to thin ’em out than to replant….”
Some seeds won’t germinate….
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!NCGA is on a roll these days.
North Carolina legislators filed a bill this week that would require North Carolina and NC State to withdraw from the ACC should the conference decide to boycott the state again.
The bill says that the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the country “is null and void in the State of North Carolina.” The sponsors argue in the bill language that it’s “clear that laws concerning marriage are for each state to establish and maintain severally and independently.”
The bill quotes the Christian Bible and says the ruling “exceeds the authority of the court relative to the decree of Almighty God that ‘a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24, ESV) and abrogates the clear meaning and understanding of marriage in all societies throughout prior history.”
The bill would order state government to return to the constitutional amendment known as Amendment One, which was approved in a 2012 voter referendum. It also says that same-sex marriages performed in other states wouldn’t be recognized in North Carolina.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article144006904.html
Hey Paki…Don’t ya just love it when politicians start interpreting the Scriptures?
Bhudda wants no part of this.
Hey Paki…Don’t ya just love it when politicians start interpreting the Scriptures?
Bhudda wants no part of this.
I especially appreciate the, “…all societies throughout prior history.”
One of the sponsors of that bill compared Lincoln to Hitler.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article144233494.html
^
Yep. I’m off the fence for sometime. I advise all god fearing men to re-elect your local right winger, like that guy, and don’t forget to keep your wife and blackies down.Jesus commands it.
Meanwhile, I will do the Catholic, Stages of the Cross on Good Friday, like I always do, and pray that any number of Alter Boys in the service are unscathed.
Paki – so these bills have been put to a vote and passed in the house?
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2017&BillID=hb728
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2017&BillID=hb780
No not yet.
Paki – I can guarantee you the marriage bill won’t make it out of committee. There’s probably a slight chance that the ACC boycott bill might, but that is unlikely as well.
You ever wonder why these stories are reported with such enthusiasm?
You ever wonder why these stories are reported with such enthusiasm?
Were they reported with enthusiasm, or were they just reported?
The basketball one is obvious because we’re in NC, and you know, basketball.
The other one, probably noteworthy after the HB2 controversy, and especially since a sponsor said Lincoln == Hitler.
Lincoln was fairly destructive.
He destroyed the Jeffersonian constructs of the constitution, he arrested political opposition, he waged war without congressional approval, he suspended the writ, he shut down free press, his military decisions waged war on women and children (the Prussians hired Sheridan as a military advisor in the Franco-Prussian war), he assigned the burden of underwriting debt to the Chase family of Ohio, he used the military to keep the lawfully elected representatives from Kentucky and Maryland from voting on secession and he had no legal authority to force any state either into or out of the union.
At least Hitler won national votes on initial national referendums. Both Lincoln and Hitler were economic nationalists, the policies of both men resulted in massive death and destruction so in the end it is about winners and losers.
The federal government we have now which is not restrained by anything is the product of Lincoln. The invasion of Iraq and all the foreign adventures the US has been involved in is not possible without Lincoln.
McCallum
McCallum, I wrote a paper while at State making these exact points about Lincoln. I ended up receiving a NC on that paper, had it thrown at me by the professor, and told it was in my best interest to drop the class.
I have always stated Lincoln was the first to bastardize our constitution then Roosevelt finished it with his New Deal. You should see the looks when I state that Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Carter are three of our worst unlawful Presidents ever!!
You should see the looks when I state that Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Carter are three of our worst unlawful Presidents ever!!
Good history lesson…and I thought Barack ‘Who needs to be checked and balanced by the other two branches of government’ Obama was bad! Classic tolerant, open, champion-of-learning response by that clown professor as well…
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