Get Ready for Social Martyrdom

 With American ethics and morals descending into cultural Marxism and the family unit -- the building block of democracy -- being destroyed, as the Supreme Court prepares to redefine marriage, Christians may as well prepare spiritually for a kind of social martyrdom; social shunning, the Christian ethics and organizations, the Church, attacked in courts, maybe job loss.  We're already seeing businesses like bakeries and florists forced out of business because they won't compromise their ethics and morals. 

The late Cardinal George of Chicago saw it coming, as does, apparently, Pope Francis. He sees where the world is headed. He talked about it a couple of weeks ago in a homily that did not get much media attention.  But then, the news media today reports only gossip, not news, anymore.  http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-get-ready-to-be-martyrs-even-in-the-little-things-67893/

Yes, For Such As This

            Men and women join the Marine Corps for many reasons.  Not being female I will not speak for the ladies, but young men often join either hoping the Marine Corps will make a man of them, or because they believe it is the manly thing to do.  And of course, there is a bit of patriotism mixed in there, too.  Along the way the desire to be the man they eventually realize they are becomes less important, and patriotism begins to play a much bigger role in our lives.

            As we grow older, speaking just for myself now, the ideals we fought for, and the high price of the lives who paid for protecting those ideals comes back to me more and more.  I, like you probably, know by name many of those who paid the price to ensure you and I are still here today.  And it becomes more and more important to us to support and protect those original ideals of what freedom, individual liberty, and this nation are all about.

            After all, we fought for those ideals, those freedoms, and we know the names of those who not here to enjoy the freedoms they paid dearly for.  So when we see corruption, on a local or national scale, when we see the law being twisted to favor this one and impinge on the freedoms of that one, we are not pleased.  Let’s face it, we are a very diverse people, coming from many different backgrounds, seeking many different things.  Even when we wore the Marine Corps uniform, we didn’t get along with everyone.  We had their back, and they had ours, but that didn’t mean we liked all of them.  We were brothers.

            So now later we must admit to ourselves and others, we don’t like everything we see going on around us.  There is sadness, anger, frustration to be worked out among us.  But if we dwell on those things, we find only more sadness, anger, frustration. That is not where the answers lie.

            But as we might expect, our God knows where those answers lie.  We find a strong hint about that in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter four, verse eight: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

            In a week when many of the things I see going wrong all about us seemed to climb on a tall pedestal and shout at me, suddenly out of the stinking fog that surrounded me came a reminder of Philippians 4:8.  It came in the form of a YouTube video, a fantastic combination of what using computers should be about, with the highest talents of individual strangers, and music.

            It’s actually been around for a while, so perhaps you’ve already seen it.  It is Eric Whitacre: A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong.

            As I watched this presentation of how it all came about, how it came together, and the final product, and then a preview of the next version to come, it occurred to me that of such is the human race intended, glorifying God with who and what they are, as individuals and in consonance.  Listen to what he has to say when he talks about "human beings will go to any lengths to connect...."

            Throughout the video, God was never mentioned, and yet it was the culmination of all the technical, creative, imaginative abilities with which He gifted us.

            It is for such beauty that we exist, not to glorify ourselves, not to get over on one another, not to merely exist, not to do violence to one another to impose our beliefs on others, not even to be the best or the brightest.

            Watch this when you have a chance, listen, notice what is happening.  Even as an experienced writer I find it difficult to pull together the right words to adequately describe how good and fulfilled I feel when I watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NENlXsW4pM 

            May God richly bless them, even as their shared efforts have blessed us.

When the World Seems to be Going to Hell in a Handbasket All Around You

God-given ethics and morals are reviled.

The family is attacked and made to seem insignificant.

Decency is ridiculed.

Concern for others is downgraded.

Elected politicians violate public trust.

The teachings of Christ are perverted.

Lying for profit is acceptable.

Crime for cause is expected.

Everyone seems to out for “me-first.”

Iniquity seems to thrive everywhere.

Don’t be too surprised, it's true, we seem to be awash in what, as a child, the Preacher warned us that it was coming in force ... iniquity.  Our leaders, our government, local politicians, the salesman on the street corner....greedy as all get out and steeped in iniquity.  Anything goes so long as they get what they want.

And that's inside the borders of man's greatest experiment -- America.  Outside those borders are multiple peoples and powers just chomping at the bit to get what they think we've got.

All I know for sure, out of my years of experience running from and to Almighty God, is that wherever you are, if you love God, that's where He wants you to be.  Whatever you're doing, that what He wants you to be doing.  If you've turned your life over to Him, then He is definitely in charge and even when it doesn't make sense, He still knows, He still loves us, and He is still in charge.

Even when the word comes around that a mile-wide chunk of space firmament is coming dangerously close to earth this weekend that could destroy us, and NASA confirms it, I have no need to worry.  Nothing happens that He hasn't planned, and if it all goes up in smoke and particles, I'll still be in the palm of His hand.  And I would not for one second want to be even that long outside His will.

So take heart, dear friend, He told us "they" would hate us when we signed on to be "crucified with Christ."  So we can say with joy in our hearts, "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...", He still has our back.  He's crazy about us.  Joy cometh in the morning, and boy howdy, is that morning coming!

God bless you, my friend, stay close to our Jesus and just let Him lead.  Something loving and peaceful this way comes, through the wall of evil, through the noise and confusion and falseness of the world – the Creator of Light and Life, Almighty God.

Today's Ad Hominem Remarks - Monday, April 27, 2015

A Right to Loot?

     My television screen is filled with video of hundreds of people in Baltimore, Maryland, throwing stones at police in the streets, running into a CVS Pharmacy and running out with as much as their arms can carry, with people bouncing up and down on crushed-in police cars, the air filled with the smoke of someone's burning personal vehicle.  Now it seems stealing from the pharmacy wasn't enough, now they have set it on fire.

Mental Rape on the Social Landscape

     At the same time comes the news that a young couple in Portland, Oregon, have been adjudged guilty by an administrative judge of not baking a wedding cake for a lesbian wedding and must come up with $135,000 to give the lesbian couple for "mental suffering."  The lesbian couple claim they are the victims of "mental rape."  How this young couple of bakers will come up with the $135,000 to give the lesbian couple is anyone's guess, for they were forced to close their bakery and have no visible means of support.

Nine Men Would Sack America

     And then, over in front of the U. S. Supreme Court, great crowds of people are camped out waiting to see if nine people will change the face of this nation by tomorrow.  For the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide if same-sex weddings -- that bedroom action that was once illegal across the land, and which the holy word of God still says is an "abomination" -- whether or not same sex relations and weddings will now become the law of the land.

An Aggressive Agenda Destroying America

     What is behind the seeming surge in activity by the “gay mafia”, by America’s aggressive homosexual agenda, by thugs and abusers?  It is a spontaneous outpouring by those spurred by personal desires and hungers -- because they now believe they can do so with impunity -- against national morals and ethics they feel restrict them.  It doesn't matter that those ethics and morals protect all of us, they get in the way of their "happiness".  Common sense, a respect and caring for others is disappearing all around us.  That should not mean we run and hide, deny our faith in God, but that we stand in His word and say "No!  Not on my watch."  It is a time for heroes and for what is right.  We cannot give in to evil, to "me-first", to cowardly self-pity.  Others are at risk.  It is about others.  It is about standing in Godly faith.

     As a former U.S. Marine myself, I am always cheered to see senior members in the Marine Corps taking a stand for common sense and for what is right.  So I was glad to see a former U. S. Marine Corps Commandant, General Al Gray, standing up and offering, "We must have the moral courage necessary to make bold decisions and accept the necessary degree of risk when the natural inclination is to choose a less ambitious  tack, for 'in audacity and obstinacy will be found safety.'”  Yes.  Yes, General, yes.

God Has His Own Warriors

     I perceive that in this Information Age that God has His own warriors -- some equipped with the sword of destruction, some equipped with such weapons as the love of Christ, truth and the sword of the spirit, His Word. For "the Word of God is alive and powerful...." (Heb. 4:12). Even in this age. But in a time in history when people are so ready to be angry, prepared to be offended, yet the love that rises to the level of God's love allows Him to work through us for the benefit of others. It's about others, it's about Him.  

Not Yet, Not Yet, Not Yet

     It would appear  that as human beings we are not nearly as "civilized" as we would like to believe.  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, paleontologist and philosopher, in the early 1900s wrote, “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” 

     You were so right, Pierre, and you still are.  We are not there, yet.

 

The National Anthem as You Have Never Heard It Before

For those of you who have not seen this before, it is well worth every second of it's 11 minute length.   God bless America and all of those who have fought and died for our country.   It is only through the sacrifices they made that we still enjoy the freedoms we have today.

If you have never before truly understood the words of the National Anthem, understand them now.
Those men and women down through America's history who have kept that flag of independence and freedom flying, deserve more than that those Americans today wimp out and allow freedom's last bastion to fall, and the flag fall with it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/YaxGNQE5ZLA

The System Works! Troops to Receive Millions Under Service Members Civil Service Act

DoD News Release
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=128143

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2015 – The Justice Department announced today that under its settlements with five of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers, 952 service members and their co-borrowers are eligible to receive over $123 million for non-judicial foreclosures that violated the Service Members Civil Relief Act.

The five mortgage servicers are JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A.; Wells Fargo Bank N.A. and Wells Fargo & Co.; Citi Residential Lending Inc., Citibank, NA and CitiMortgage Inc.; GMAC Mortgage, LLC, Ally Financial Inc. and Residential Capital LLC; and BAC Home Loans Servicing LP formerly known as Countrywide Home Loans Servicing LP (Bank of America).

In the first round of payments under the SCRA portion of the 2012 settlement known as the National Mortgage Settlement, 666 service members and their co-borrowers will receive over $88 million from JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi and GMAC Mortgage. The other 286 service members and their co-borrowers already have received over $35 million from Bank of America through an earlier settlement. The non-judicial foreclosures at issue took place between Jan. 1, 2006, and Apr. 4, 2012.

Unlawful Foreclosures

“These unlawful judicial foreclosures forced hundreds of service members and their families out of their homes,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart F. Delery. “While this compensation will provide a measure of relief, the fact is that service members should never have to worry about losing their home to an illegal foreclosure while they are serving our country. The department will continue to actively protect our service members and their families from such unjust actions.”

“We are very pleased that the men and women of the armed forces who were subjected to unlawful non-judicial foreclosures while they were serving our country are now receiving compensation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “We look forward, in the coming months, to facilitating the compensation of additional service members who were subjected to unlawful judicial foreclosures or excess interest charges. We appreciate that JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, GMAC Mortgage and Bank of America have been working cooperatively with the Justice Department to compensate the service members whose rights were violated.”

Section 533 of the SCRA prohibits non-judicial foreclosures against service members who are in military service or within the applicable post-service period, as long as they originated their mortgages before their period of military service began. Even in states that normally allow mortgage foreclosures to proceed non-judicially, the SCRA prohibits servicers from doing so against protected service members during their military service and applicable post-military service coverage period.

Under the National Mortgage Settlement, for mortgages serviced by Wells Fargo, Citi and GMAC Mortgage, the identified service members will each receive $125,000, plus any lost equity in the property and interest on that equity. Eligible co-borrowers will also be compensated for their share of any lost equity in the property.

To ensure consistency with an earlier private settlement, JP Morgan Chase will provide any identified service member either the property free and clear of any debt or the cash equivalent of the full value of the home at the time of sale, and the opportunity to submit a claim for compensation for any additional harm suffered, which will be determined by a special consultant, retired U.S. District Court Judge Edward N. Cahn.

Payment amounts have been reduced for those service members or co-borrowers who have previously received compensation directly from the servicer or through a prior settlement, such as the independent foreclosure review conducted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board. The Bank of America payments to identified service members with nonjudicial foreclosures were made under a 2011 settlement with the Department of Justice.

The NMS also provides compensation for two categories of service members:

-- Those who were foreclosed upon pursuant to a court order where the mortgage servicer failed to file a proper affidavit with the court stating whether or not the service member was in military service; and

-- Those service members who gave proper notice to the servicer, but were denied the full benefit of the SCRA’s 6% interest rate cap on pre-service mortgages. The service members entitled to compensation for these alleged violations will be identified later in 2015.

Points of Contact

Borrowers should use the following contact information for questions about SCRA payments under the National Mortgage Settlement:

-- Bank of America borrowers should call Rust Consulting, Inc., the settlement administrator, toll-free at 1-855-793-1370 or write to BAC Home Loans Servicing Settlement Administrator, c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., P.O. Box 1948, Faribault, MN 55021-6091.

-- Citi borrowers should call Citi toll-free at 1-888-326-1166.

-- GMAC Mortgage borrowers should call Rust Consulting Inc., the settlement administrator, toll-free at 1-866-708-0915 or write to P.O. Box 3061, Faribault, Minnesota 55021-2661.

-- JPMorgan Chase borrowers should call Chase toll-free at 1-877-469-0110 or write to P.O. Box 183224, OH-7160/DOJ, Columbus, Ohio 43219-6009.

-- Wells Fargo borrowers should call the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Military Customer Service Center toll free at 1-877-839-2359.

Service members and their dependents who believe that their SCRA rights have been violated should contact an Armed Forces Legal Assistance office. To find the closest office, consult the military legal assistance office locator at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil and click on the Legal Services Locator. Additional information about the Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and the other laws protecting service members is available at www.servicemembers.gov

Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force

Today’s settlement was announced in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.

Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities, addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations.

For more information on the task force, visit www.StopFraud.gov

The Question, Perplexing Everyone, is "W-H-Y"?!

The following is a guest post from my friend and fellow Marine John Boring.
John is a very intelligent senior citizen, a once active duty Marine who has lost none of his ability to "improvise, adapt, and overcome."
In the following post, John addresses a problem nagging at many of us these days, regardless of background, race, religion or political persuasion.  And the overwhelming question is ... why?!

by John Boring

Okay, here's the thing. I hold short of calling our president an evil man. I'm not sure he's evil at all. I do know he is an intelligent man, maybe even beyond intelligent. So, when he intentionally refuses to acknowledge what the entire world knows to be true, I have to ask myself 'why is he doing this?' ISIS is not killing Christians or burning alive Jordanian pilots for the fun of it. They aren't doing it to promote travel to the mid-east. What ISIS is doing is Islam in action. They are promoting Islam. The entire world knows this. ISIS has not made a secret of why they behead journalists or people who simply cross their path; they do it in the name of the prophet. For Islam. So, I have to keep asking myself, why won't our president, the guy we elected, the nominal head of the free world, the man who is supposed to honor us by protecting and serving the constitution of our nation, open his mouth and let those words come forth: ISIS is acting in the name of Islam? Why hasn't he condemned the evil that is being perpetrated on the innocents by this evil group? Why has he bothered to explain their actions as justified by medieval acts when we know we are seeing evil in action in present-day time? Why will he not even admit that ISIS is a Muslim organization? I'm perplexed. I find it hard to respect such lack of leadership from my commander-in-chief. My words aren't meant to be political for they pertain to us as citizens, not as republicans or democrats or tea party people or independents. As citizens we deserve to have a leader who loves and respects us beyond and above any other nation in this world. We deserve a president who will call it like it is; not feed us pie in the sky. In my humble opinion, we don't have such a president right now.