US Army Hospital Emergency Room

I'll see you back here in a few days; I'm off playing in Grafenwoehr.

He is Risen!

The Incredulity of St Thomas by Caravaggio.

19On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

24Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." --John 20:19-29

He is risen indeed!

In the Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio depicted the moment the disciples recognize their risen lord.

About the artist:

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (September 29th 1571 – 18 July 1610) was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. He is commonly placed in the Baroque school, of which he was the first great representative.

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is traditionally the day on which Jesus was crucified. Why is Good Friday referred to as good? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27).

Calling the day of the Crucifixion ‘Good’ Friday is a designation that is peculiar to the English language. In German, for example, it is called Karfreitag. The Kar part is an obsolete word, the ancestor of the English word care in the sense of cares and woes, and it meant mourning. So in German, it is Mourning Friday; and that is what the disciples did on that day—they mourned. They thought all was lost.

However, the result of Christ’s death is very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ’s death by honoring a certain day. It does give us freedom in these matters (see Romans 14:5). The Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:26 declares, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. -Luke 23:44-49

War Never Solved Anything

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -- John Stuart Mill

I'm not pro-war. War IS an ugly thing, but as long as nations and leaders exist that detest freedom, sometimes it is the only way to secure a lasting peace. Most leftist anti-war protesters and pundits don't understand this. They state that this use of force is always unnecessary -- that war, ANY war, is never good. Some of them, born into the luxury of American freedom, believe that liberty can exist passively, that somehow the world's natural state will always settle into utopian harmony.

Here's excerpts from President Bush's speech on the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq:

"No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure – but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq. If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the violence that is now declining would accelerate – and Iraq could descend into chaos. Al Qaida would regain its lost sanctuaries and establish new ones – fomenting violence and terror that could spread beyond Iraq’s borders, with serious consequences to the world economy.”

I have no ill will towards those who do not support the war. I've suffered from "war" weariness and questioned policies, tactics, etc. But the "leftists" who usually carry the loudest megaphones; left unchallenged, voices heard disproportionately, demoralizing the troops, and emboldening dictators around the world need to be confronted with the truth of history and reality.

And stop harassing the men and women in our armed forces who are just doing their job.

Iron Man - Launching May 2008

Iron Man arrives in theaters on 2 May 2008 from Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, based on Marvel's best-selling Iron Man comic book character. The movie looks promising, although the Black Sabbath song 'Iron Man,' as heard in the trailer, is over the top.


The official movie website is here. It looks like part of the story is similar to the straight to DVD animated movie, The Invincible Iron Man that came out in January 2007.

What is Palm Sunday?

The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, fresco in the Parish Church Zirl, Austria.

Palm Sunday is the day Christians remember the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His death and resurrection. For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as 'Passion Sunday,' marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

Some 450-500 years earlier, the Prophet Zechariah had prophesied, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9).

Matthew 21:7-9 records the fulfillment of that prophecy: "They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

'The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem' mosaic by the Master of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, Italy
(Greco-Byzantine workshop, gift of Roger II, c. 1150)

Jesus the Messiah, enters Jerusalem on a donkey, an animal of a man of peace. A conquering king would ride a horse. The people seem to have recognized the kingship, but not to have seen the emphasis on peace. Jesus Christ makes peace with God the Father by sacrificing Himself on our behalf; thus He has paid our debt and granted us peace with the Father.

The biblical account of Palm Sunday can be found in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19.

"Beware the Ides of March"

Morte de Césare (Death of Caesar) by Vincenzo Camuccini

The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March," has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding.

In the Roman calendar, the term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other eight months.

In modern times, the term Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martiae) is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BC, and famously retold in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. The term has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom (Act 1, scene 2, 15-19).

But the Ides of March assumed a whole new identity after the events of 44 B.C. The phrase came to represent a specific day of abrupt change that set off a ripple of repercussions throughout Roman society and beyond.

Josiah Osgood, an assistant professor of classics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., said: "You can read in Cicero's letters from the months after the Ides of March. … He even says, 'The Ides changed everything.'"

Some of my favorite lines from Julius Caesar:

He reads much;
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men (Cæsar. ACT I Scene 2).

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come (Cæsar. ACT II Scene 2).

Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar (Caesar. ACT III Scene 1).

Cry “Havoc,” and let slip the dogs of war (Antony. ACT III Scene 1).

America's Greatest Mind

Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758) is best remembered for his masterful sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In addition to his achievements as a pastor, Edwards was a father to eight daughters and three sons, missionary to the Housatonic Indians, revivalist, philosopher, and accomplished scientist. From a very early age, Jonathan was mesmerized by the beauty and order of God’s world. In fact, he was especially fond of studying spiders. So much so that his accurate observations have been preserved and are acknowledged in the scientific community today. Even more remarkable is that these observations were made when he was a boy with no tools, training or body of knowledge with which to compare and test his findings. In his childhood work, “Of Insects,” Jonathan wrote “Multitudes of time I have beheld with wonderment and pleasure the spiders marching in the air from one tree to another… their little shining webs and Glistening Strings of a Great Length and at such a height as that one would think they were tack’d to the Sky by one end were it not that they were moving and floating.” As a young man, Jonathan wrote seventy resolutions. One of these resolutions was, “To live with all my might, while I do live.” That he did. Blessed with a brilliant mind, Jonathan Edwards used his brief 55 years to advance the Kingdom of Christ.

Many believe Jonathan Edwards was the greatest mind in American history.

Gnome Gone Wild

This kind of thing does happen (and it wasn't me. I was nowhere near South America at the said time of terror):

A TOWN in South America is living in fear after several sightings of a 'creepy gnome' that locals claim stalks the streets at night. For the complete story and video click here.

A frightened victim stated, “This is no joke. We are still afraid to go out - just like everyone else in the neighborhood now.

Another exasperated individual claimed, "One of my friends was so scared after seeing that thing that we had to take him to the hospital.”

First, Gnomes do exist. If you don't believe it check this out. They're sort of like Hobbits but not as good looking. Usually, Gnomes of the benign variety can be found in gardens. I've seen them on many occasions, particularly of the German type.

This is truly a rare but scary instance of a Gnome gone wild. I'm not sure if there's anyway to combat such an angry, small person; however, I would recommend not approaching or agitating the miniscule miscreant, and by all means seek out a highly trained law enforcement or military official who should know how to properly handle an irate tiny person.

Artist of Faith

Mention the name Michelangelo and frescoes of the Bible’s creation story on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel come to mind. Three million people a year flock to the Vatican to gaze at the famous masterpieces. The frescoes are a magnificent example of how a Christian artist interpreted Scripture through his art. Though it is one of the most studied and well known works of art, the Sistine Chapel is one of the least understood. It has become a temple to art, but Michelangelo intended it to be a place to worship God.

In his later years, the artist concentrated on the free and priceless gift of salvation entirely dependent on God’s grace. Michelangelo emphasized God’s grace through his art, which was in contrast to the prevailing system of gaining salvation through indulgences and good works.

For sale: Nazi German tanks

I'm still stuck on tanks. Oh to be an Armor officer...Former Nazi ally Bulgaria plans to auction German tanks from the Second World War.

Bulgaria is selling German tanks from World War II for about €100,000. This is the starting price, according to the Sunday edition of Bulgarian daily Trud in Sofia. The Bulgarian Defence Ministry plans to auction some 22 German Wehrmacht tanks and assault guns. The best-preserved pieces will be offered to museums before auctions begin.

For the man who has everything. How about a Panzer IV? Genuine Wehrmacht surplus. Imagine when your neighbor sees you pull up in the ultimate SUV! Jagdpanther trumps Escalade every time! You may get less than 3 miles per gallon, and you may spew out black diesel smoke. But who will dare say anything?

Which World War II tank are you?

I stumbled upon this quiz via History.com:

Ever wondered if you were born as a hunk of steel instead of a human, how you would turn out? It's odd, but oh well. Here's your chance. Take the tank quiz.

I'm a A22 Churchill (pictured), An infantry support tank that could handle itself in the African deserts. All around an average tank.

I was hoping for a Panzer...

Captain America first appeared in Captain America Comics # 1, in March, 1941.

Injected with an experimental super-soldier serum during World War II, frail Steve Rogers became the exemplar of human physical perfection. Armed with an unbreakable shield, he is now Captain America...Captain America is probably the greatest symbol of freedom, justice, liberty, and the American Way to ever live. He was the pinnacle of human existence-a good man who fought for what was right and did what he could to make the world a better place. When you think of justice and a symbol of America, the first person to pop into mind is him-the living symbol of America and freedom. Many heroes not only admire him for what he stands for, but look up to him as a role model. He basically sets the bar for not only what a hero should be, but what a man, and a true American should be.

In March of 2007, Captain America was assassinated on the steps of a Federal Courthouse in New York City. But don't shed any tears true believer, cuz Captain America made his triumphal return in January 2008. You just can't keep a good superhero down.