Wednesday, June 25, 2008

2 Corinthians 6:17



"Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you."

I took this photo today while under a bridge leading into a training base of the Indiana National Guard. I remember seeing this last year, and wanted to come back and snap a picture of it.

Being separated from the military is not an easy task, something that I personally learned last year. Thanks to the Catholic Peace Fellowship and GI Rights I was able to obtain an entry level discharge. July 3rd will be the one year anniversary of my Boot Camp ship date, and July 4th I will be celebrating my freedom once again.

I hope everything worked out for the soldier who wrote this. My eyes were opened last summer to so many things, and I'm thankful that my boss right now isn't GB. If circumstances were different I would join up again in a heartbeat. They promise the chance to defend freedom, but when I saw what was really happening I decided to give myself to God, and not to the world.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoy what little freedom you have left in this country Joshua.

Thank you for your service and I hope you don't have the same problems so many vets who gave to this country are experiencing with benefits. They want you in and will promise you all kinds of benefits but once "out" you have to fight for those benefits. The stories on the hospitals that service our vets and the living conditions in "out patient care" units sure does not seem like this country honors their vets.

God Bless
Sandra

Anonymous said...

Joshua,

Do you believe the following statement from Kucinich and is that why you left the military?

Kucinich accused the US government of forcing Iraq to privatize its oil fields, which are estimated to hold more than 100 billion barrels of oil, and keeping US troops at war to protect the oil reserves.

"Our nation's soul is stained because we went to war for the oil companies and their profits. There must be accountability not only with this Administration for its secret meetings and its open illegal warfare but also for the oil company executives who were willing participants in a criminal enterprise of illegal war, the deaths of our soldiers and innocent Iraqis and the extortion of the national resources of Iraq," he said.

From the following link in RAW STORY in todays articles:

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Kucinich_We_went_to_war_for_0626.html


God Bless
Sandra

Joshua said...

Sandra

My initial joining was based on poverty + a need for adventure (very very very common reasons for joining). After some prayer + some intense dreams I feel as though the lord was directing me away from military service. Shortly after I was able to get out I found Stephen Hanchett's Website and started to realize a lot more.

I do agree that the war on oil was part of the reason we went to war. But I believe the main reason Bush set this up was to bring about Armageddon. This war is biblical, the antichrist will soon take power.

Anonymous said...

Joshua,
You can not go wrong when you follow the Lord's lead. I do believe Bush is the antichrist and everything he has done is so much in line with Bible prophesy.

I became fully awake on 9/11 but before that I knew Bush was not what he seemed but so many think he is a good "christian". Many are still blind and continue to defend him. Not with the group I am associate with but than we are just a minority group. Nobody cares what we think.

Glad to see this blog site and look forward to the different issues being raised by each of you.

God Bless
Sandra

faithful forever said...

The world is going to care pretty soon about what your small minority group is thinking, Sandra. And most importantly, we know that God always cares about what we are thinking. Leave the world to the world. In Jesus' Kingdom there are no division and we are all equal for He tells us in Galatians 3:28:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Amen and all praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who sets us free from this world even while we are in it. The love of our Heavenly Father will protect His children in the storm. This I know for certain.

I also hope things worked out well for that soldier, Josh. I am glad that you were able to get out and 'come out of her.' The only army worth fighting in is God's army. Every war has served satan's purposes and never our Father's.

I am thankful that the Lord led you here where you belong.

I was talking with my son's friend the other day who is probably a few years younger than you (18) and he believes that the world is coming to an end (I like to say beginning) and stated that his generation has gotten the raw end of the deal. I presumed he was feeling that way because of the lack of future to look forward to, and I told him 'no way,' you guys have to suffer a lesser time in this world than old people like myself have had to. What God has planned for us is indescribable. I pray for all young people to know that it is their redemption that draweth near also.

with love.

Anonymous said...

FF,
Amen we are all one in Christ Jesus.

I like that saying the army of God. Not as the world thinks of as a army but what Jesus taught his followers. We go forth with truth, compassion and love. If truth causes people to get angry it is only because they refuse to believe the lies they were told in this country and our clinging to an illusion. The sad part of it is they don't even know it. I read a few years ago a book called "People of the Lie". It describes the mindset of those who don't see anything wrong with themselves but blame others for their problems. When you accept Jesus into your soul he starts working on you and you no longer blame others and realize your own responsibility in this world.

It does seem like so many in the younger generation realize the times we are living in. I hear it in their music but so many of them don't know that Jesus is the answer and they will have peace in him. They see all the bad news and don't have hope. A lot of them are turned off to religion because they see the hypocrites within the churches and so many not following the teachings of Jesus.

We need to pray for the children.

Yours in Christ
Sandra

faithful forever said...

Sandra,

You are on fire and it is a joy witnessing your testimony.

'They see all the bad news and that is why they don't have hope,' so true, but they have us and it is our responsiblity and duty to teach them. I have found it extremely interesting that the younger generation seem to understand 'these days' more than older people do. We will be praying for the children together, and where there are two or more of us gathered...He is there with us.

with love.