Category Archives: Uncategorized

Our Words.

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Words have meaning. When I was in college I took a course on words. It was an English class on the meanings of words. In the class we broke the words apart to find their origins. The American English language is composed of words from England, France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy, Greece, Israel, Africa, Middle East, China, Japan, Polynesia, Spain, Portugal and Native Americans. Our language is a mixture of all languages around the world as our country is. You know who invented the telegraph? The French in the 1850’s because Napoleon III wanted to talk to his troops in Turkey fighting the Crimean War. Today there are so many ways to talk to someone around the world. The capabilities grow every year. There seems to be no stopping it. It is the Age of Information. Words by themselves have no real power. But when they are spoken they come alive. So why is that? It is because we give words power. People sometimes don’t even understand how much power we give words. As the bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. I have seen it. People say I can’t do it and they can’t. Or they says I wish I would die and they do. The spoken word has changed the entire universe. But it is a broad sword that you can use on your enemies. You should think before you speak. And when you speak you should mean what you say. God has always meant every word He spoke. Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise: and he that shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Our words have power.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Weight of Reality

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Years ago, I was attending church in Lafayette, La. There was a young man who was a quadriplegic. He could only get around in a wheel chair pushed by someone else. A young woman was helping him with his parents. I was invited to his house by the young women. She wanted me to meet him. He could not speak with his voice, but had developed a system with a pointer on his head to point to letters or words on a board. It was arduous and painstaking to carry on a conversation. But he enjoyed talking to people. We talked for about an hour. It was interesting because there was nothing wrong with his mind only his body. We talked about many things, especially things of the Lord. The last thing he said to me, was what bothered him the most. He said it was the constant drooling that he couldn’t control. I began to cry, because I saw my sin. He couldn’t use his body and nothing could stop me from using mine. Yet I would complain. He couldn’t speak, but I complained when I had to talk to people. He couldn’t walk and I would get tired walking around. He loved life and showed me the truth spirit of Christ in him.

Crain Blanchard

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Have you ever felt like a Square peg in a round hole?

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Have you ever felt like that? We spend a lifetime finding out where we belong. It is unfortunate that some people never find their place in life. It’s like wandering in the desert to find water and not finding it. When we find our place, it is funny how things work in our lives. It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be resistance to our place. I know that when I found my place, the battle began. It was a battle to keep the place I found for myself. And I tell you a truth, I was shielded from the battle for a long time. It wasn’t until I was strong enough to face it myself. But when I enter the battle, it was amazing what happened. I saw so many miracles that it is hard sometimes to comprehend. You see I am a Christian soldier. I know how to wage warfare. I don’t fight flesh and blood. My battle is in the spiritual realm. I fight against principalities, spiritual wickedness and powers in the air. Sometimes I get beat up. When I do, I retreat back to God. Where I know that I will be refreshed and renewed and ready to go back to the battle. My battles aren’t over things of this world. My battles are for the lives of people. If I don’t fight the good fight of faith, people will die and are bound for hell. That is why sometimes I feel like a square peg in a round hole. But I have found my place in life and it is next to God.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

The Crucible of Life…

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When people think of a crucible, they think of the military in war. They are fighting to take or keep a hill. In the military, there are many crucibles. My parents generation would say that the military will make a man out of you. The crucible of leaving home and becoming part of a military unit is definitely a crucible. When I left home to join the military I was afraid of the unknown. That was my first crucible, working through my fear and developing talents that I always had. I have never liked change. And that is a crucible for me.

A crucible is a trial by fire. It is where a person is tested to the limit of their endurance. Sometimes they are tested beyond their limit. It is to find out what the person is made of. Even if the person fails, it still shows what is in your heart. It is a trial that you don’t want to go through. For the most part it is always necessary for the person’s future life. Fortunately or unfortunately, we go through many crucibles. It is a simple as leaving home or starting a family or joining the military. Sometimes it is as hard as watching a relative die of cancer or your parents dying. Your life will never be the same again. For better or worse, it will change the way you look at life. When Cain went through his crucible with Abel, he told God after he had killed his brother Abel, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer to the question is yes. Are we linked together in some invisible way? Again the answer is yes. God says we are watchmen on the wall and if we don’t sound the alarm to protect our brother and sisters. We are guilty of their blood just like Cain was guilty of Abel’s blood. So what is your crucible? Are you able to make it to the other side?

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

How a Covenanat works for Mankind…

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Throughout the history of man there have been covenants. Covenants have been made between individuals as well as nations. They are made for many reasons. Some are mutual protection or commerce or just to keep the peace. They can be as simple as a wall or as complicated as a garrison of troops. Because of the hostility of man and the uncertainty of life, covenants like NATO were established. Usually there is a stronger member of the covenant. This will guarantee the protection and commerce needed to survive. And if you break the covenant there are consequences. Sometimes it is catastrophic for the small member. When a covenants was made in ancient times, there was always the shedding of blood to seal the deal. Animals were sacrificed as part of the agreement, signifying what will happen to the person who breaks the covenant. Also to make the bond stronger between the 2 parties. Most people don’t understand what happens when they break a covenant. Divorce is the breaking of a covenant. And the consequences to the 2 parties are real and lasting. God made a covenant with man and sealed the deal with the blood of Jesus Christ. Anyone can enter into the covenant. God has opened it up to everyone. Again those that break the covenant with God the consequence is death. But God has made a way back into His good graces by asking for forgiveness. Man is the only one that God gives a second chance too. As it says in the bible in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). Because of this we have a chance to not only survive but prosper in the covenant of God.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com     

joseph1637@juno.com

Where the Rubber meets the Road #2.

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This happened almost 9 years ago and it still bothers me. In 2016, there was a perfect storm that landed over Louisiana. People say that it wasn’t a hurricane. But if you looked at the satellite image, it was. The storm formed over Louisiana and stayed for 30 days. It dropped 62 inches of rain and the water had no place to go. The storm kept the water from draining out into the Gulf of Mexico. All of Louisiana, from New Orleans to Lake Charles flooded and as far north as Alexandria. To say the least it was a disaster. Over 200,000 homes were flooded. It displaced about half the state residents. Of which my family and I were among them.

The day we began in earnest cleaning out my flooded house, I was not looking forward to this. It is was a real pain. I’m thankful that only about 6 inches of water got into the house, but still it destroyed a lot of things. I had treasures from my great grandmother, grandmother and mother. Again putting it into prospective they are only things. But those things I wanted to hand down to my children. My children responded with enthusiasm and a sense of urgency. And several nieces and nephews and my brother will be there with us. As so often is the case, you don’t know what people will do until adversity comes. I always wanted God to explain to me why it takes adversity to get people off of dead center. But I am grateful that they responded. It was stressful enough just having a flooded house. So many people in southwest Louisiana were forced out of their homes by the water. If you don’t understand we had rains of biblical proportions. As heart-breaking as it was, I am thankful to God that very few people died. And that God is still in control of this world no matter what we think. I will still give Him honor and glory for who He is. Ecclesiastes 3:1,10 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ….I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.” (KJV).

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Red Badge of Courage…

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The book, The Red Badge of Courage, was written by Stephen Crane in 1895. It is historical fiction about a soldier in the Civil War. The book shows the recruitment, training and combat of a US soldier. The soldier goes through bravado, fear, the loss of innocence and courage of this individual. He earns a red ribbon pinned to his chest as acknowledgment of his courage. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln only authorized one medal to be given to any US soldier for valor beyond the call of duty. That medal was the Congressional Medal of Honor. A total of 1523 medals were awarded for actions during the Civil War.

One interesting story from the Civil War was about 1st Lieutenant Arthur MacArthur, Jr. He served in the 24th Wisconsin regiment. The 24th Wisconsin was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Major General George Thomas. After the battle of Chickamauga, they were in Chattanooga. General Grant ordered General Thomas to fight an uphill battle on Missionary ridge in Chattanooga. This was to be a diversion, while 2 other armies flanked Missionary Ridge and routed the Confederates led by General Braxton Bragg. As the Army of the Cumberland moved up the hill, the Confederate fire became withering. 56,000 US troops did not stop where they were suppose to. They began a systematic charge up the Missionary Ridge. About half way up the ridge, the charge became to falter. The 24th Wisconsin’s color Sargent was killed. Then 1st Lt. Arthur MacArthur picked up the colors and rallied the troops running up to the top of Missionary Ridge. The Confederates were so surprised, they began running away. For his actions that day, 1st Lt. Arthur MacArthur received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Almost 80 years later, his son, General Douglas MacArthur received his Congressional Medal of Honor.

Courage is not the lack of fear. It is doing what is right despite the fear. Anyone who has served in combat knows what fear is like. But fear is not just on the battlefield. Fear can come from anywhere. I have seen people afraid of their own shadow. It can be debilitating. It is doubt and unbelief in yourself. This is where courage comes in. If you can believe that you can make the difference, then you should. Whether it is in the classroom, business office, courtroom or battlefield. Take the step, exhibit courage. What do you have to lose? If you don’t, you have failed anyway. So, earn the Red Badge of Courage by standing up and being counted.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

War and Peace…

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War and Peace is a novel written by Leo Tolstoy in 1869. It show life in Moscow when Napoleon attacks Russia. It’s a moral play about the purpose of life. The book is 1400 pages long. There are many plots and twists in the book. A lot of people say this is why it is difficult to read the book. It is considered a masterpiece in literature. Tolstoy wrote the book to show everyday life, despite the war.

Everyday life has not changed since the beginning of time. Children grow up and marry, have children, who have children and so on and so on. The only thing that has changed over the years is our technology. I was watching this farmer who has a YouTube show. He lives in up state New York. He has a small farm of 45 acres. His passion is restoring old Farmall tractors. His latest video was at Tractor show. It had over a hundred years of tractors, from steam to gasoline to diesel. All the tractors did the same thing, but the technology kept improving. The stream tractors were almost as large as trains. Where the gasoline and diesel ones kept getting smaller. Now tractors are getting bigger again. But life goes on.

Everyone can remember the crazy guy on street corners holding a sign saying the world is ending. As he tries to convince people to prepare for the end of the world. Everyone thought he was crazy and paid him no mind. If you are old enough to remember the Y2K pending disaster. All digital framework was based on Cobalt code. When year 2000 was going to come, all digital framework was going to reset itself to the year 1900. Had not the people figured out how to change the computer language, it would have a disaster. But life goes on.

Everyday life counts on all situations being normal. And if the situation changes, it seems that our life becomes tenuous. Thus the Covid-19 pandemic. There are still lasting effects from the pandemic. And I am not talking about the medical side of it. People became deathly afraid. Many people did die from complications of the virus. But depression settled on people and it still hasn’t gone away. So how do we counter these abnormal situations? In all my life I have found only one way to counter the end of the world as we know it. That is to have peace in your heart. Not the peace that man brings, because it doesn’t last. It is the peace that only God can bring to your heart. And the only door to the peace of God is through Jesus Christ. It is when we surrender our lives to Him and let the peace reign and rule in our lives.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

To Thine own Self be True…#2.

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Shakespeare’s famous quote from Hamlet was “This above all, to thine own self be true.” What was Shakespeare talking about? And why be true to yourself?  King Solomon talked about the same subject. He said, What was before, shall be again…there is nothing new under the sun. Evil is not just for one period in history. People have lied and betrayed others since the beginning of time. Shakespeare wrote a whole play about betrayal. It’s called a tragedy because everyone died because of betrayal.

We have all known people who have lived a lie. It is a sad situation where they believe how they are living is the truth. But it really isn’t. Everything they are doing is a lie. You want to shake them up and show them that they need to wake up. But they are deceived and believe the deception. For the most part people are the same. They may have different backgrounds. But people are basically the same. We were born with parents. We need to be reared and taught how to live. We learn a skill or job to be able to eat, clothe ourselves and have a home. We learn the language of our parents. And if we are fortunate, we learn other languages. We do so to go out into this world and communicate with others. When we do we find that people have different beliefs than we do. It seems that their truths aren’t the same as ours. If we don’t have strong belief system, things can become complicated. I have seen people switch their beliefs to other cultures. I don’t have to defend myself. I know who I am and where I am going. I know where I will end up. I am being true to myself. Because 45 years ago, I was drifting through time. I had no anchor and didn’t belong anywhere. Now I have a worldwide family and I belong. To Thine Own Self Be True.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Not Remembering the Past.

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There is a saying by George Santayana from The Life of Reason. It says, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” King Solomon said the same thing in the book of Ecclesiastes about 3000 years ago. He said, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The difference is what we choose to remember and do. It is so easy to forget about this detail or that one. Life crowds in on us and we just forget. But time has a way of catching up with us.

Everyone knows what due diligence is. It is being mindful of what is going on around us. It is being particularly aware of what we have to do and how it is going to be accomplished. Sometimes that acute awareness starts when we are young. But sometimes people remain clueless as their life drifts into the void.

I have studied my families history. How 4 families over 400 years have come together in my family. You know what I have seen over those 400 years? I have watched them grown up, be educated, marry, have children and eventually die. They build a life for their immediate family and around their extended family. Some were farmers, some merchants, some pirates, some doctors, but all believing that they were providing for their family. One thing struck me is that they all learned from their previous family, whether good, bad or indifferent.

And in that remembering, we can not only see our ancestors, but we see ourselves and our children and grandchildren. It is because there is nothing new under the sun.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com