Ukrainian Courage

 

The leader and hero of a nation is a brave man who loves his country. It takes a brave man committed to his nation to wear a helmet.

                                        Volodymyr Zelenskyy

 I watched Walter Cronkite when I was not yet aware of the world's disasters. JFK assignation? Vietnam? Some other battle somewhere else?

But then the words he said and the photos that were shown revealed that life on the farm was insulated from that part of our history. I knew nothing.

“When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death – that is heroism.” unknown quote

 Heroes are not just ones out on the battlefield, they are brave souls who rise to the occasion to save other souls.

 

                                                                                                       

By one's deeds you may know him

source

October 7th, 2017, was Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday and many wishes of health and happiness to him. May God gift him with all that he deserves.

May God gift him, indeed, since Putin is a man with a variety of interesting qualities and activities.

Patriarch Krill of the Russian Orthodox church endorsed Putin's election.  He stated that Putin's terms were a "miracle of God" during the election of 2012.  Since collapse of USSR and lifted oppression of faithful believers, Patriarch Krill has joined an alliance with state.

Wikipedia

The Church even supported Putin's decision to move into Crimea and Ukraine.

Putin is apparently a believer with his religious awakening occurring after serious life-threatening event in his personal life in 1990s. In his early years, his mother had baptized him secretly when a baby and took him to services (held in secret). 

His mother gave him his baptismal cross before a trip to Israel, and asked him to have it blessed.  "I did as she said and then put the cross around my neck.  I have never taken it off since."

Happy trails

  Putin's confessor (according to rumors) is Russian Orthodox Bishop Tikhoshevkunov.

Putin is also actively involved in protection of rare species as Chairman of Russian Geographical Society Board of Trustees.
 

Forget about Syria!  

Forget about Crimea and Ukraine!

Forget about Iran and his support of their nuclear program!

Greeting Iran's leader

Forget about his past as head of the KGB!

KGB leader

Forget about all his choices! He wears a crucifix and has Russian Orthodox Church support after all.

Yes, may God show him the Christian way, whether or not he follows.  May God grant him deserved fruits of his labor. May God provide Putin with an appropriate reward for his many many works.

If Vladimir Putin lived in USA, he would qualify for Medicare. Putin could move into our retirement community. Does he like golf? We do not provide horse back rides.

Putin is now 70 yrs. old. This is a repost from Oct. 10, 2017. To know his choices, one must know his character. 

" By their deeds you will know them. Does a man gather grapes from thorns or figs from briars?”Matt. 6:17

No more homes

 

Russian helicopters on Ukraine

 

Helicopters fly

Gray and Green

Against a gray sky

Whoom-puh, Whoompuh

Blades cut through air

Shake leaves

Rattle glass

People watch from below.

Fly at night

Fly in day

Going where?  When?

Today, tomorrow.

Young men, young women

Sons and daughters all

Fly across

A town of People

 

Whoom-puh, Whoompuh

Beating of their hearts

And

Beating of blades:

Same sound.

This was originally published September 12, 2012

Camp Pendleton is just 20-30 miles from us.  When we lived even closer, we could hear war maneuvers. Helicopters, munitions, half-tracks on the beach---means something was about to happen.

 

So, why is this being posted now?