Still Standing His Post

“I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.”

Jack Roche & Bob Bright
L-R Jack Roche and Bob Bright

The first general order is drilled into every recruit’s mind from the first day of military service. At 94 years of age, WWII Veteran, Jack Roche of Cordele, is still faithfully standing his post. 

Every weekday morning, a few people gather at the Christ Episcopal Church in Cordele for Daily Prayer. Two of the most faithful are both veterans and in their 90’s.  Bob Bright and Jack Roche both flew in the Army Air Corp in WWII. Continue reading

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President Roosevelt Leads the Nation in Prayer as Troops Land on D-Day 75 Years Ago

On June 6, 2019 the entire world will remember the 75th anniversary of the largest military operation in history. It was an epic conflict of good vs evil.

Thousands of young Americans who just months before were securely living in homes on farms and in cities across our nation crowded into landing craft.

The vast armada chugged toward the beaches of Normandy like a cloud of gnats on a South Georgia farm. As these brave young men stormed the beaches, they were charging into the gates of hell itself.

While the invasion was underway, President Franklin Roosevelt, in a nationwide radio address, led the nation in prayer for this undertaking. Take 5 minutes to listen. Share this with your friends and especially young students who are learning about our nation’s history.

Text of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Address and Prayer on D-Day – June 6, 1944

My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them–help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt – June 6, 1944

Wall at Normandy Cemetery - American Battle Monuments Commission
Wall at Normandy Cemetery – American Battle Monuments Commission
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The Solution

I have the honor of serving as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Rochelle, Georgia during the interim time between permanent pastors. I received notice last Tuesday that the regular Wednesday midweek services were cancelled so that members could attend Fields of Grace 2018.

Crowd of people kneeling in prayer

Fields of Grace is a worship service, led by students in Wilcox County schools. In addition to Fields of Grace in the fall, they also have a service called Sermon on the Mound in the spring.

The student organization in the high school is Patriots for Christ. The elementary schools also have a program for students named, Little Patriots for Christ.

Local area churches support the school clubs as well as some of the teachers, coaches, and administrators outside of their duties for the school system. While there is support from these adults, the program is clearly student led.

The program last night featured the Big Brother and Big Sister mentorship program. A student from Patriots for Christ paired with a student from Little Patriots for Christ for several weeks before the service to teach and learn Scripture and Bible Stories.

Throughout the service, one after another, two students, one from high school and one from the elementary or middle school would come to the stage and have a conversation. Both introduced themselves and their grade in school.

Some selected favorite Bible stories. Some selected favorite Bible verses. The two students summarized the story or verse and then told how it helped them in their lives.

Some students sang a favorite song or shared a personal testimony of how Christ affected their lives. The students were not assigned verses. They made their own selection and the selections were independent of each other.

As I listened to them sharing testimony and Scripture, I began to see a pattern or theme of these verses. They spoke of a personal walk with God and a sense of confidence and courage. One read from the Psalm 23, “He leads me beside the still waters.” One read Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” One read from Luke 18:27 “what is impossible with man is possible with God.”

One of the most moving parts of the service was not part of the program. A young boy asked for the microphone. He could not have been more than 10 years old. He said that one in his family had cancer and asked for prayer. Later, the entire field gathered at the front and humbly kneeled, praying for healing and freedom from worry and anxieity.

I titled this article, “The Solution.” In a small Southwest Georgia county, a new generation of leaders is coming on the scene. Teenage high schoolers are teaching the truths of God’s Word to single-digit-age elementary school students.

These young people are not demanding, “safe spaces.” They are growing as leaders to stand on the solid rock of eternal truth and they are passing the truth to the next generation.

These young leaders already face a hostile world but they face it with courage, confidence, and an unwavering committment. Fields of Grace 2018 is a reminder that, while the world may be going mad, God is still at work building leaders for the future of our nation.

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Persistence

Three Ladies persistent in prayer

Shannon Penny Nipper, Joyce Williams Mitchell, Lavater Hall-Bass

What does it mean to be persistent? In the book of Luke, chapter 18, Jesus tells a parable of a woman who sought justice before a judge who “did not fear God”. The judge did not want to waste time with her. She kept coming back.

Over and over and over she brought her case before him. Finally,the judge came to the realization that he would spend less time dealing with her if he just heard her case and gave her justice.

The purpose of the parable was to encourage His followers to pray and not lose heart. In other words, persist in prayer.

Last January, I attended a prayer service at the Cordele Community Center. The letter that I received called for the community to come together.

I did not know what to expect as I went. I wrote about the positive and powerful time together. The event organizers said that they wanted to do it again.

Last Saturday morning at 10:00 am, a small group gathered again at the Cordele Community Club House. Under cloudy skies with impending rain, the group shared Scripture, words of encouragement, and they prayed.

As it was last January, the prayers were not focused on a race of people or a part of town. The prayers were for the community. The prayers were for the schools, teachers, law enforcement officers, social workers, pastors, Sunday school teachers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children.

Some came who no longer live in Cordele but made it clear that Cordele was home. Joyce Mitchell recalled how in her younger days if she walked down the street and there was someone sitting out on the porch as she passed, she had better greet that person. If not, when she got home, her mother would have already received a call. It was a matter of common courtesy and respect to greet each other.

The group that gathered that day was a little smaller than the first gathering six months earlier. Perhaps it was the impending rain. Perhaps it was the beginning of summer.

What struck me was that there was no grumbling, fault-finding, or finger-pointing. There was just a time of positive, uplifting, prayer for the community.

Persistence -Woman performing interpretive dance to praise music

Alisha Appling

One participant, Alisha Appling, performed a praise dance to a song asking God to fill this place. Praise dance is not part of a normal worship service for me.

As I watched her, it was evident by the smile on her face as she looked to the heavens that she was pouring out her creativity before God. I thought of King David writing in Psalm 103:1, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

Joyce Mitchell, Lavater Hall-Bass, and Shannon Penny Nipper organized and promoted the event. They did not let anything stop them. They will be doing it again. They are not weary in well-doing. They are persisting and it will pay off.

When you hear about the next one, come and join. You will be glad that you invested the time and our community will be better off because you joined others who are persisting in prayer.

Read my editorial about the first gathering. 

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A Community in Prayer

I recently received a letter inviting me to attend a community prayer vigil in my community of Cordele, Georgia.Community praying in Cordele, GA I was familiar with the name of one of the three organizers but not the other two.

It was scheduled for 3:00 pm on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at the Cordele community club house. The letter said that it was a prayer for the community and, in particular, the problem of crime in the city.

I will be transparent.  I did not know what to expect and a few unfounded thoughts ran through my mind. Was this going to be another one of those “unity” gatherings with prayer tacked on to be sure that something religious was included?

I did not want to promote something just because it was framed as a time for prayer.  I decided to go and see for myself. At the very least, I could bow my head and pray silently.

The unfounded thoughts that ran through my mind proved to be just that – unfounded. Not just unfounded, totally false.

The crowd was not very large but it looked to be a fairly good turnout to me. There were maybe three dozen people gathered. There were men and women, boys and girls, black and white.  The racial makeup of the crowd was probably 80% black and 20% white.

The prayers were about the community of Cordele, Georgia.  There was no focus on the West side or East side of town.

The prayers were that crime would be stopped; that families would be strengthened; that there would be jobs for the unemployed; that children would learn and be safe in schools; and that public servants would have wisdom and strength to serve.

What was not talked and prayed about was as significant as what was mentioned. There was no mention of political parties. There was barely a reference to race and that was only in the context of praying for everyone in the community no matter what race. There was no distinction of economic class.

In short, the prayers were about the people of our community. They were prayers that one would hear in churches anywhere in our region. They were heartfelt and humble.

When it was over and I was getting in my car, it dawned on me that something else was never mentioned in that gathering. There would have been nothing wrong had it been mentioned.

On the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, his name was never mentioned.  It was because the focus was not on Dr. King, but on The King of Kings. For one hour on a chilly afternoon in the small Southwest Georgia town of Cordele, three dozen citizens of the community humbly gathered and bowed to pray.

Thank you, Joyce Williams Mitchell, Shannon Penny Nipper, Lavater Hall Bass, and the others who responded to a leading. We need to do this again, soon.

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The Governor Who Prayed for Rain

President-Elect Trump formally announced former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as his pick for Agriculture Secretary. The first headlines from mainstream media were about Sonny’s call for prayer for rain in 2007.

Sonny Perdue is a man of faith. He grew up on a farm. It is virtually unheard of to find a farmer who does not acknowledge reliance on divine Providence. Praying for good weather conditions is a part of life in a family and community dependent on agriculture. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

This is Why We are Sick of the National Media

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The national media is once again expressing faux outrage and taking statements out of context. Down here in South Georgia we call it “pitchin a hissy fit.” This time it is over a passage of Scripture quoted by David Perdue at the Faith and Freedom Convention.

Perdue said that we should pray for President Obama. Then he quoted a portion of Psalm Continue reading

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D-Day Remembered

On June 6, 1944, thousands of young men from across our nation had either already suited up with paratrooper gear and loaded into an airplane to jump out over France or were on landing craft moving across the English Channel.

President Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, and a relatively few strategic planners knew what was taking place. They knew that even if there was 100% certainty of a successful mission ( and there was no certainty of success), there was also a 100% certainty that thousands of those men would never return to their homes.

Normandy Cemetery

Normandy Cemetery – American Battle Monuments Commission

President Roosevelt addressed the nation with a prayer. I invite you to take 5 minutes to listen to his prayer and read the text as you listen to this. If you have a child or grandchild, pull them aside to tell them what happened on this day. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather