Walking Through History

  The Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery is located on Shelby County road 42, almost a mile from the intersection of County road 25.   There is a historic marker at the entrance.  The marker reads as follows...
   The confederate army established a soldiers home and hospital here (1863-1865) as a part of the CSA Camp Winn Training Site.  Father Leray and the Sisters of Mercy staffed the hospital after fleeing Civil War destruction in Vicksburg, MS.  They brought with them by train many wounded and sick Confederate soldiers.  This existing public cemetery was expanded for those soldiers who died of battle wounds and illnesses.  Civilian burials continued until 1921.  Lay Down Your Arms...Close Ranks... Rest in Eternal Peace...


 Some would think this is a morbid place to visit, but it isn't!  It certainly wouldn't be politically correct.  It is however, a good place to walk through and ponder the many lives lost.  The soldiers in Vicksburg had come from many states and the list of infantry, calvary, and artillery divisions reflect that.  The complete list of soldier's names can be found on rootsweb here.  

 From what I've read, the graves were x-rayed(probably not the right terminology), so the tombstones would be oriented correctly.  Most of the tombstones show "unknown".   Families of known soldiers can purchase marked stones but correct burial sites cannot be identified.
  





 I tried to find out more about the trip from Vicksburg to Shelby but again history seems quiet.  All we know is that when things got bad in Vicksburg, Father Leray and the Sisters of Mercy moved their hospital out of harms way.  I'm sure that at the time, it was no easy feat.  Their names are listed on a monument at the Cemetery.







Reading about men fighting and dying for a cause in a history book just isn't the same as walking among their resting places.  They were all real people who felt so strongly about their beliefs they were willing not just to die for them but to kill in battle!  They were from a time very alien to ours and it is unfair to judge them guilty of any crime.  It was a war, and they fought bravely and valiantly.  Some died horribly, not just from battle but from sickness and disease.  Again, those caring for these deserve great honor!






If you find yourself near Columbiana or Calera, Alabama, stop by for a spell.  It'll do you good!

2 + 2 = 5

     I just finished reading George Orwell’s book 1984.  Written in the year 1949, it seems to be either political prophecy or a playbook for controlling the masses.   In it’s day, it was a dark omen announcing where government was heading.  In our day, it's really just old news. Technology has advanced way ahead of Orwell’s fictional society.  It’s a land(Oceania) where the Ministry of Truth can make you believe that 2 + 2 = 5 by whatever it takes…

     I imagine the conspiracies contained within the book are the same ones within all governments.  All ruling bodies feel threatened and are willing to use any means necessary to hold onto power.  Governments also want the ability to spy upon citizens.   In the book that happens through the telescreen.  The telescreen is a two-way television that delivers propaganda to the masses and yet watches and listens to them as well.  Just think of the myriad of devices that accomplish that today, from satellites, to computers, to cell phones.  Every internet click you’ve made can be recovered by an unknown “Big Brother”!  A good movie which can be eye opening to this process is the 1998 movie “Enemy of the State”.  Even the technology displayed there is over a decade old!

     The sad thing is that our American government is just as guilty of doing unchristian things as any other.  I have come to realize that my own government does not have my best interest at heart.  It has it’s own best interest at heart and is willing to sacrifice mine in a moments notice.  I wholeheartedly disagree with many of their actions from encouraging and financing abortion to extending our military presence around the world.  I have to pay taxes to a power that doesn’t have a Christian worldview.  With the U.S. debt about to overcome us, our country still pours out money to evil regimes around the world.  There were several payouts mentioned in the WikiLeaks documents that embarrassed Washington.  This morning, I learned we were remodeling several mosques in Egypt!  Really, look at this report from WSB in Atlanta.

     I’m sure that will be pulled down shortly.  I also read we promised money to Saudi Arabia to get onboard with “global warming”!    I’m ready for American dollars to stay in America, along with American jobs! 

     There are those who say Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics and that we shouldn’t try to mold public opinion.  Hey, the majority of our founding fathers were Christians who believed in the One God of the Bible!  They just made a terrible mistake by not giving all elected officials term limits! 

  

     We may live in an Orwellian society, but that can’t stop us from striving for something better! 

“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. “ G. Orwell

When Tsunami's Come

     I've been glued to the news for the last couple of day watching events unfold in Japan.  The powerful earthquake and tsunami following has killed a tremendous number of people and devastated whole cities along the coast.  It is interesting to me that "tsunami" is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave".  Wikipedia says that 195 of the events have been recorded in Japan.  Of the top 10 tsunami's for number of deaths, Japan has four on the list, 1826, 1896, 1792, and 1771.   Sadly, the most recent gives them another one!   Japan has therefore, endured and rebuilt from five of the top ten tsunami's.

     Picture two fighters in a boxing ring, one of them is you and the other we'll just call "life".  The bell rings and you're both going at it.  You're doing great, confidence sets in, and it even looks like your opponent is no match for your abilities.  In your mind, you can coast to victory!  That is when it usually happens...  the earthquake, the punch to the gut...  hurts doesn't it?  In life, that might be sickness, job change, some serious inconvenience on the road to your victory.  Then, just when you're down a little, the tsunami comes, it's a right cross you never saw coming...  job loss, divorce, financial meltdown, or death of a family member.  You're suddenly on the canvas, bleeding and can't breath well.  It's looks bad, like it might be over...  the referee starts counting, one, two,  Why not just quit and end this stupid fight?  Why go on?  Because you'll never know the thrill of victory if you quit!  You'll never know what good you can do, not just in your own life, but the lives of others!   Think it's just too hard?  Take a minute and check out this video with Nick Vujicic.

     I liked the movie Rocky!  Near the end, after all his training and work, it looks like the fight is over, Sylvester Stallon as Rocky, is down, bleeding, not sure he can make it.  But he does, he gets back up, and goes on to win the fight!  Keep your focus as a Christian, and get back up!  This morning at church, we sang "Today is the Day" by Lincoln Brewster.  The first verse says...

      I'm casting my cares aside
     I'm leaving my past behind
 I'm setting my heart and mind on you
                     Jesus
      I'm reaching my hand to yours
     Believing there's so much more
Knowing that all you have in store for me is good

    Don't let a tsunami in your life keep you down!  I'll end with 1 Corinthians 15:57  "Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Stoning at the Stake

     Christians in America are becoming like the frog in a pan of water.  The water is slowly being heated on a stove but the frog doesn't realize it.  All of a sudden, the water is starting to boil and the frog has no place to escape to.  Plus, we make pretty easy targets.  Lambs to the slaughter...   

      I am seeing more and more Christian persecution around the world and especially in America.  I read this morning on Focus on the Family's website about Christian adoption being banned in the UK over anti-homosexual beliefs.  That link is here.  Last month it was the story on David Coppedge being fired at NASA.  David was the Team Lead on the Cassini mission to Saturn.  He simply shared his intelligent design view with co-workers and was persecuted for it!  All the lurid details are here. 

     The biggest two "pushes" by societal engineers seem to be homosexual rights and banning Christian teaching.  I suppose money has a lot to do with that, since we send a lot of our moola overseas for Chinese trinkets and MiddleEastern oil.  China is very anti-Christian and holds our country hostage over borrowed money while Muslims consider Christianity as a pagan religion.  Furthermore, homosexuals don't like Christians, probably due to the guilt of their sin.  The gay rights lobby in Washington is tremendous and passes out a lot of money for that agenda.  So, politicians keep overseas money flowing in and grease their pockets locally with gay bribes.  That money must go everywhere.  On television and movies, gays are all over the place.  Newspapers give positive stories on gays and negative ones on Christianity. 

     Politicians work hard to keep those groups happy.  Our military generally does what Saudi Arabia wants us to.  I'm starting to think they need to change uniforms.  It seems we only intervene in crisis situations where Muslims are in danger.  It's my opinion that Saudi Arabia uses us as a big stick against their opponents.  Of course, President Obama is very happy to please the Muslim world.  No one has mentioned helping Christians in Nigeria, Rwanda, China, or Cuba, but we'll probably be in Libya very soon because Muslims are in danger.

     It's kind of funny that the "sides" have ended up this way.  Gays haven't realized that the Muslim religion is not kind to their lifestyle.  Several eminent scholars of Islam have ruled that the person guilty of homosexuality should be stoned.  That does not refer to smoking something!  The end result for the gay person is not a happy one, evidently not in this life nor the next. 

     But I digress, my main point is that as Christians we knew persecution would come.  2 Timothy 3:12-13 says, "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived".  Romans 8 asks the questions, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine...or danger or sword?"  The Bible gives us the answer, nothing!  "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!"

Bob Riley - Really?

      I read today that former Governor Riley has banned together with House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh to target "RINOS".  The term stands for "Republicans in name only", or a liberal in conservative clothing.  Mr Hubbard and Mr Marsh need to immediately turn and point a finger at Mr. Riley!  Our former Governor will never be able to overcome the negatives attached to his name.

    I must confess that Bob Riley did receive my vote the first time he ran for Governor.  I thought we finally had a good Republican in charge.  Then, I along with every other conservative in Alabama was shocked when he tried to push through the largest tax increase in history called "Amendment One", while previously campaigning against a tax increase.  The voters turned it down.  Then, he raised our property taxes without a vote of the people by ordering annual appraisals rather than quadrennial.  He had the nerve to campaign in his next election against Lucy Baxley, that the legislature needed to fix the property tax issue!

     Bob Riley did almost nothing when Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was attacked by liberals and ultimately removed from office.  Judge Moore is a great man and by not supporting a real statesman, Bob showed his true colors!  In my book, that adds up to at least three strikes against Bob as being a real conservative himself.

     Riley's popularity in the state plunged to the low level of 36% approval, and only the constant media attention during hurricane Katrina brought it back up.  Unemployment, when Riley took office was 3.3% and when he left it was 9.8%.  It was Alabama's highest unemployment rate in 25 years!

     Riley, in November 2005, signed a letter on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, opposing expansion of casino gambling in Alabama.  That network, was revealed to be a Jack Abramoff front, funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians which operated competing casinos.   Riley said he didn't know...

     When Bob Riley(R) ran in his last campaign against Lucy Baxley(D), I had had enough.  I went to the polls and voted for a Democrat for the first time in 25 years!  Sadly, she lost.  Twice Bob got in the Governor's office by the skin of his teeth.  He won the first campaign against Don Siegelman by only 3,000 votes and that was after the initial count showed a 2,000 vote victory for Mr. Siegelman.

      Holding the Governor's office does not make Bob Riley a good Republican no more than standing in the garage makes me car.   I suppose he can probably pick out the fake Republicans.  It takes one to know one!!!