What kind of condition is humanity in? The Information Revolution is upon us all. There was the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Age and now we have the Age of Information. The strangest thing is that we still have poor people, starving people, war-torn countries and people who only care about money. The human condition hasn’t changed in 6000 years. Why you ask? The things of life have gotten better, better food production, better medicines, better construction and better materials. Oh yes, let us not forget cars, planes and trains. It is very simple. The reason why it hasn’t changed in 6000 years is because man is still in charge of it. God had been trying to get man to accept His way of life for his betterment. God knows what man needs and wants. He can decide what is best for us. If we allow Him to change our lives, things will get better. As the bible says, man thinking himself to be wise, became fools.

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Andre Boutte, French and Indian War, 1763.

Francois Boutte, Louisiana Militia, American Revolution, 1775.

Calvin and Luther Blanchard, Massachusetts Minute-Men, 1775.

Thomas Blanchard, North Carolina Militia, 1776.

Thomas Newton, Commissioner, US Navy, 1776.

Thomas O. Blanchard, War of 1812.

Francois Boutte, War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans, 1814.

Albert G. Blanchard, Maj. General, 9^th Louisiana, 1861.

Calvin and Ebenezer Carson, 16 Alabama Cavalry, 1861

Carey Edward Blanchard, 17^th Texas Brigade, 1864.

William P. Blanchard, 71^st Inf., 1941.

Neal Blanchard, Doctor, US Army, 1941.

Dyer Blanchard, US Navy, 1941.

Hal McGown, Lt. General US Army, Korea and Vietnam, 1948.

Felix Castille, 1^st Marines, Korea, 1951.

Charles Blanchard, US Air Force, Vietnam.

My older brother was a Physician’s Assistant in US Army during the Vietnam War. I served in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. Three of my sons and two of my nephews serve in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since my grandfather came to this country in 1637, our family has defended it. My family are patriots. There are a lot of people who have served our country and I am thankful for it. We are blessed by God with a good land to live in. And it is worth defending our country, no matter how bad it seems to be. I just want to thank the men and women who have served our country in the military. It is right to honor them. Have a blessed and safe Memorial Day.

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When I came to the Lord, I literally stopped talking. Before I knew God my tongue was the worst part of me. I could easily carve people to pieces with my tongue. It was sharp and poisonous. People didn’t want to be around me. As the Bible says in

James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (KJV)

The fires of hell came out of my mouth and burnt anyone around me. So when I received God into my heart, I was changed and couldn’t speak with the fires of hell. I just stopped talking. I would speak to people but with great caution. When I got married, my wife had to pull anything out of me. I didn’t speak. It’s not that I didn’t have something to say. But I wanted it to be just right. My wife likes to talk. She go on about anything. She gets phone calls that last a couple of hours. I still guard my mouth and speak judiciously. The bible says that anyone who bridles their tongue controls themselves. I don’t want to run off at the mouth ever again. I will have to account for all of my words when I stand before God.

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How would you like an occupying army to live in your country? Having to pay for the occupation itself with your own money. The Romans had conquered Israel. They had to contend with the Roman soldiers. Jesus went about the country preaching, teaching and healing people. A Centurion came up to Jesus. He had a servant that was sick. The Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus said he would go to his house and pray for the servant. Then the Centurion said something that Jesus marveled at. He said I am not worthy that you should enter my home. I am a soldier under authority. I say to this man come and he comes. I say to that man go and he goes. All I need is for you to speak the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus said not in all Israel have I found so great a faith. He said your servant is healed. God is looking for faith in this world. Faith to believe that He is and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. All it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed to produce results. Believe and trust Him with your life and watch how you will bloom.

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Sometimes my sons asked me why I watch a certain movie. The movie doesn’t have much to do with my beliefs. I tell them that there is something there. I see in that movie something that speaks to me. I am very cautious about just watching anything. The bible says that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is how we receive input from this world. The bible also says to guard what you see. It is most important not to damage our hearts. I was a music director for a radio station and listen to many albums. I like music, especially Contemporary Christian. When I listen to albums, usually there was one song that stood out of the crowd. It was funny because the song I liked usually wasn’t the song picked by the music company. I played their music and listened to mine. It is always about what you perceive. People see things and know it is wrong and do it anyway. Do what is right because it is right and not because it is convenient.

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I went to a fast food place to get a hamburger. There was a father and son waiting on their order. The boy was 1 years old. I asked. He was cute with his little shirt and shoes. He was at the front door looking out at all the people. Then he was next to his dad waiting for his food. He had no fear of anything. He was walking around looking at all the new things in his life. This is the joy of wonder. Somehow we have lost the joy when we became adults. There is no more curiosity in the world around us. It seems that there is nothing new for us to discover. Where did it go? Why did we lose it? Can we every get it back? For the past several years I have being taken pictures of clouds. The most interesting ones only occur before a storm hits. I have seen many unusual cloud formations. They were different colors and shapes. I have become interested in clouds because my life was about the same thing. And I didn’t like what I was looking at. Did you know that a sparrow is about 30 shades of brown? A blue jay has about 25 shades of blue on it. God created this world for us. He put everything in place. For God so loved the world that He gave.

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My life is like a tale being told. I was born into a family eventually of 6. I was reared by a conservative mother and father. I went to a private school. I was taught religion. I attended church all my life. Then I graduated from high school. I went to college and then served in the military. When I came to myself I didn’t know what to do. All the preparation didn’t prepare me for life. I wandered around for years. Wondering what I was supposed to do. Until one day I met the Lord and my life changed. I finally knew who I was and what I was supposed to do. I began by reading the bible and studying. I found out that I was a son. A child of the living God, who loved me and care what happened to me. As I grew in the Lord, I gained strength and courage. I began using the word of God to do the work I was called to. People’s lives were changed. People would walk up to me and tell me how I helped them in time of need. I have always been amazed at what God has done through me. And on top of that, God gives me the reward for doing His will. I have the best of both worlds in the here and now. As a Tale being told.

Crain Blanchard.

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My cat loves to sit in the kitchen window facing the backyard. She watches for anything that moves, especially birds and squirrels. Calli is a beautiful orange calico cat. She has one ear that is bent over. She is healthy and has learn many things from us. She knows how to open doors. We found her as a kitten, starving and abused. It took a long time for her to trust us. We also have a small dog named Olivia. She rules the house. No animals can come into the house without her permission. We brought Calli to Olivia. She took one look at the kitten and began cleaning Calli like she was one of her puppies. Calli began to follow Olivia wherever she went. Olivia became her mother. They play hard sometimes. Olivia has taught Calli how to hunt and ponce on prey. Olivia is afraid of the lightning and thunder. She begins to shake uncontrollable. Calli sits beside Olivia and calms her down. They have become a surety for each other. What kind of surety do we have in this world? Who is looking out for us in this world? Where would we go to calm our fears? Jesus became our surety through His death and resurrection. All we have to do it to go to Him and ask for forgiveness.

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When I first started with the Lord, I was happy to be alive. I was learning about God and His kingdom. Studying the word of God, praying and sharing my new found faith. God woke me up one morning with a scripture in the book of Mark, chapter 10. The scripture talks about James, John and their mother coming to Jesus to ask a favor of Him. They asked if they could sit at His right hand and His left. Jesus answered, you don’t know what you are asking. He further said that it wasn’t up to Him, that those seats would be chosen by the God Himself. Jesus went on to say, but you can be baptized into My baptism. He turned to me and said you can be baptized into My baptism. I knew what He was saying to me. Jesus’ baptism was death. At any time or place my life could be required for the kingdom. I couldn’t give an answer right then and there. I had to think about this decision. For 3 days and nights all I thought about was death. I knew I didn’t want to die. But I wouldn’t receive the blessings of God through His plan if I didn’t. But I didn’t want to die. I had to make a choice. What was I going to do? I counted the cost. And I finally make my decision. I say yes to God. That was almost 40 years ago. And my life is still required by the Kingdom of God.

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The end of the beginning is the beginning of the end. It’s kind of like the tail wagging the dog. But the statement is true. The hot topic these days is global warming. The earth is heating up in more ways than one. They say if the polar ice melts the oceans will rise 200 feet. That means I would have to move to Arkansas or there abouts. Where I live is only 25 feet above sea level. I like the mountains, but everybody and their brother would move to. Have you seen all the TV shows on the end of the world? With the coming of global warming, more scientist have said that the world is coming to an end. Duh! You know when God talked about this very thing, after the flood. He told Noah that the earth would never be destroyed by water again. Next time it is by fire. That is about 5000 years ago. Jesus was talking to His disciples. They asked Him when was the end of the earth and the beginning of the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, (Matt.24:4-8 KJV) “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Sounds very like the evening news, doesn’t it. That is because it is. This was spoken over 2000 years ago. And it is true today. Is it the beginning or the end for you?

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