I don’t think I have ever seen a flamboyant president as Donald Trump. Most were quiet and reserved and didn’t get angry when some person asked them an obnoxious question. But the best response to an obnoxious question came from Gen. Russell Honoree. In a press conference, right after Hurricane Katrina, a reporter asked the same question he had just answered. The Gen. turned and looked at the reporter and asked, “what are you, struck on stupid.” I am cautiously optimistic about our new government. I am sure it will not be the same old politics. And I am grateful for that. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? It is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Every leader that won battles and changed the world, led from the front into the battle. They earned the trust and respect of their people. It is because they shared in the hardship as well as the good. Leadership is a learned skill. Yes, people have attributes that develop into the skill. But ultimately, it is the person deciding to learn to lead. This man took his attributes and learn to lead and I say quite successfully. It is interesting the both President Nixon and Reagan encouraged Donald Trump to run for the office of President. The next four years will be interesting. I am praying for good success.

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Many years ago, I was skiing above Denver on the Continental Divide. I went to the top of the mountain and sat in the snow. I was at 15,000 ft. above sea level. It was one of the highest peaks in the lower 48 states. I could see for miles in both directions. The snow was beautiful, sparkling in the sunlight. I felt small and insignificant compared to the mountain. While skiing down the mountain, a snow storm came through. All I could do is the stand still until it passed. It was totally black inside the cloud. I knew that I wasn’t in control at that point. I was at the mercy of the mountain. It was unsettling that I couldn’t control my circumstances. It was the beginning of a learning curve. A curve that I had to learn to survive. As much as, I say how much I am in charge of my life, I am not. I can’t stop accidents. I can’t stop diseases. I can’t say when I will die. I can’t say much about my life except no. Your life is affected by your circumstances, your health, your education, your wealth and by so many other things that you can’t control in life. I don’t fear these things anymore. I understand and have accepted that I need help with my life. I need a power that is greater than myself. I only found one source of power to change my circumstances. And His name is Jesus. I am no longer afraid and my needs are met. So now I can live the life that God has planned for me. And all you have to do is ask.

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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.

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Sometimes restraint is the better part of valor. Everyone has been goaded into a fight and they wished they had kept their mouth shut. This is where restraint comes into play. But it is a learned trait. We aren’t really wanting to keep ourselves held down by morays or outdated ethics. When we look at the grand scheme of things, self-control is a most valuable asset. If you become angry, you have lost the battle. The tongue is a small thing and boast of great things. But it sets the world on fire from hell. I understand this more than anyone knows. I had a vile and bitter tongue. It could carve anyone up. It was easy. I have a good and quick mind and when I would unleash it against anyone, look out. People didn’t want to be around me, because I was mean spirited. The reason was that I was so hurt and crushed by the things around me. I didn’t care. I was going to let people feel my pain. It took a long time to find my way out. But if I wouldn’t have gotten help from God, I would have never made it. When I turned to God, He changed my heart. He removed the pain with His love. I finally found someone who loved me because I was just me. I didn’t have to be anyone else. I never had the power to change on my own. Only God has the power to change a heart. And that is what has to change for your world to become better. I don’t always like restraint, but it better than slapping someone silly.

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Yesterday was a big day in America. A new president was inaugurated. People from everywhere turned out to welcome him. Yet for all that it is worth, there is great fear amongst many people. Fear that everything will go wrong and nothing good will come of it. Because of this fear, people were acting out. But what I saw was that the people are more afraid of the fear than what is actually happening. Did you know that during the American Revolution, only 1/3 of all the people were for independence from England? 1/3 of the people really didn’t care and the other 1/3 wanted to stay with England. Yet when the English troops treated everyone the same, as combatants, the majority of the people began to fight for freedom. We, as a people, are together in all that happens to this country. There is no separating this group or that group. What happens to one, happens to all. It has been our strength in every conflict that has beset us. The change in this country will affect us all. In 1941, President Roosevelt’s state of the union speak was about the four freedoms. It was the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and the freedom from fear. He said that everyone all over the world should enjoy these freedoms. But we can only enjoy these freedoms when our government is of the people, by the people and for the people. That happens when the majority of people stand up and are counted on to fight for freedom.

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There is a saying, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is that perception is individual. Our thoughts and memories make up our perception. We prize beauty wherever we find it. I know that I have found beauty in some real odd places, from garbage dumps to grand gardens. I am always looking for beauty because I never know where I might find it. I love to watch birds. They are some of the most elegant creatures on this earth. The sparrow is one of the smallest bird and it is quite beautiful. Their feathers have so many shades of brown. It is one of the bravest birds I have ever seen. The sparrow will attack a hawk to protect its nest. God knows how many feathers each sparrow has. Also, He provides food for each and every bird. And if God provides for the birds, would He not provide for us each day? God has unlimited provisions for us. And all He wants is to make sure that we have what we need. I was speaking to a very nice person and mentioned that I was a Christian. You would have thought take I hit her with a hammer. Why she was afraid I don’t know. But God wants to provide for everyone. God created us to live in His world. Even when Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, God provided for their needs. God sees beauty in us all. He created us and God doesn’t create junk. Maybe we need to see through the eyes of God to see the beauty that He created.

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You have heard that old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. It is all about anticipation, waiting for things to happen. We are now in the X Generation, where everything happens now. But is that such a good thing? Do we have to have it on demand? Or can we wait to receive it? I appreciate the speed of the internet. But I don’t need anything faster than I can think. And I don’t need anything that will think for me. Anticipation builds excitement. I can remember waiting for Christmas to come and the presents under the tree. It gave me an appreciation of what I had received. I started working when I was 13 years old. I was in high school, had homework, played sports and a job. I worked 6 days a week. I always had money in my pocket. I worked at the same job all through high school. In college, I took 12 hours a semester and worked 40 hours a week. I appreciated what I had. And one other that anticipation does, it builds character. It especially builds patience in us. A trait that we all need. Why am I talking about anticipation? Well, I have been without a house to live in since I lost mine in the floods of August in Louisiana. We are about to purchase a house and the finance company is dragging their heels. I would like to turn a blow torch their way, but that wouldn’t build patience in me. My wife and I are within days or possibly hours of purchasing a home. But I know I will appreciate our new home.

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It is one of our emotions, that we need but don’t want. Emotions are part of our lives. We are born with them and use them all of lives. They can be overpowering if we aren’t careful. But there is a real purpose to them. Left uncontrolled, the emotion in our lives can led to every kind of violence and even death in our lives. But when they are controlled they make us stronger as a human being. And that is the real purpose for them. We are made in the image and likeness of God. That means that God, Himself, has emotions. Do you not think that God gets upset with us when we do not do His will? God holds in His hand the power to create and destroy anything in this universe. If He would forget about us at any time, we would disappear forever. Do you know why the bible warns us not to fall into the hands of God’s anger? The flood recorded in the bible was about God’s anger. But the salvation of Noah and his family is about God’s love and mercy. But my frustration level has been growing in the past few months because of things that have happened to me, especially the flood. I have been holding them in check with the help of God’s love and mercy. And hopefully the fruition of my efforts will appear with the purchase of a new home. There are some days I want to scream and howler because I am so frustrated. But I know that releasing my emotions at the wrong time doesn’t help anyone. So, I will rely on the love and mercy of God to control not only my emotions and my life but the finally outcome of my life on earth.

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We as a people have honored many for their courage. We look at courage as a wonderful attribute that we must have. We all want to be courageous. When we were, children playing, we were policemen, firemen, soldiers, generals, princes and people who we thought were worthy. We look at the founding father and see the courage it took to establish a nation. Courage doesn’t only happen on a grand scale. There is a young woman at the church I am attending, who only has one hand. She is on the worship team, singing in front of everyone. That is courage. There was an old woman who was rescued by the Lord from the worst part of her city. She chooses to go back into that part of the city that even the police won’t go. She said that someone needed to share the truth of God with those people. This is courage. I know parents that worked all their lives providing for the family and not realizing their dreams. So, that their family would have a chance to live a better life. This is courage. Then there are people who gave their lives, physically and spiritually, to change the world. Taking courage isn’t about not doing something. It is about doing what it takes, against all odds, to change your life and the world’s. I want close with this quote. “that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  This is courage.

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I didn’t wear glasses until I about 40 years old. I tried for a long time not to get glasses. Both my parents wore them and I knew I would eventually. I would always take care of my eyes. Especially not to strain them in low light or in bright light. I always had sunglasses. But it really doesn’t matter how well you take care of your eyes. If your family has that weakness in their eyes, it is a real possibility that you will need glasses. So, when my arms were just too short to read any more, I got glasses. I still take care of my eyes, because loss of my sight would be devastating. I brought a computer program to be able to speak to the computer. The only problem with the program, is that I have to teach the computer to speak. Computers are wonderful tool, but they are as dumb as their owners. But back to my story. Seeing clearly is something that you have to work on all your life. When you are young, it is taking care of your eyes. Then as you grow up, it is understanding who you are and what your purpose is in this world. I know some very smart people who are as blind as bats. They can’t see farther than their noses. And I know people who are totally blind and see into eternity. The difference has always been God. My eyes were opened when I came to the Lord and He forgave me. You want to see with clarity, then let God open your eyes to the truth. Then you will be able to see clearly.

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