Years ago I worked in Real Estate. I sold property but mostly did Appraisals. There was a friend of my younger brother who wanted to buy a piece of property to build a house. I found a nice piece in the country on a lake. It was a very nice piece of land. He had been in the US Army and was going to use the VA to build his home. The VA turned him down because I made a mistake. The property was a gated community. It had a locked gate at the entrance. He had spent his life saving on the property. He wouldn’t speak to me. One Sunday morning I was on my way to church and the Lord spoke to me. He said go to this man and asked for forgiveness. He wouldn’t hear of forgiveness and cursed me. I had done what the Lord had said. I prayer that the situation would be corrected. God helped him sell the property for more money. The bible says if you are bringing a gift to God and remember that your brother has ought against you. Leave the gift and go to your brother and be reconciled. We are responsible for our actions. If they caused our brother to stumble it is our job to fix it as best we can. God will do the rest.

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There is a John Steinbeck short story called “Flight”. A young man kills a man and flees for his life. They chased him to the top of a hill. There he knew he had to face the truth. He stood up and the police shot him dead. The tragic story is about taking courage even though it may kill you. We are placed on this earth to prove the truth that we are the image and likeness of God. We walk in this world trying to figure out what is the best way to live our lives. Not everyone succeeds. The only way we can possibly live this life is by taking courage. Our parents tried to teach us how to live the right way. They wanted the best for us. When I was a teenager, I thought my parents were brain dead. As I got older, I saw the wisdom of my parents. My dad died 31 years ago. For the longest time after his death, I heard my father’s voice. Whenever I had a problem, I could hear inside me my father’s voice giving me wisdom. As I discovered my father wasn’t as stupid as I thought. That wisdom always gave me courage to face whatever I needed to. And I would take courage and face life as I am supposed to.

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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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