MTC #149 - Thanks to Those Who Serve

Our program today was filled with patriotic songs to mainly honor our veterans, and those still serving in the military. I'm certainly thankful for these individuals who have worked to preserve our freedoms and make the world a safer, more peaceful, place. I took the opportunity to ask the choir member who I was sitting next to, today, to tell me a little about his time in the military. As he recounted some experiences in Bosnia, his words and emotions helped to put a "reality stamp" on the fact that most Americans have little idea of the sacrifices made in our behalf. 

That all said, I struggled a bit in singing the songs today. I kept thinking about the election, just two days away, and how this great nation will end up with a leader unfit to lead. I kept thinking about the words to the songs I was singing and whether or not they truly still applied. Is our nation great? Is American still a sweet land of liberty? Are Americans still free? Is God still willing to mend America's every flaw? Are we a nation of morals and values and decency and service? Do we stand up for what's right? Do we feel a false sense of pride as we sing/listen to these songs or is what we're singing about still applicable?

Please don't get me wrong. I love this country. For the most part, I believe people are good and in their hearts, they want to do good. While some of our freedoms are eroding, we still enjoy many of them. And we still have great opportunities to succeed and prosper. The list of blessings we receive from living in the United States are quite lengthy if you stop and think about it. But I see things happening that are troublesome and alarming. And a lot of those troublesome things just continue to get worse. 

Thankfully, amidst it all, God is still at the helm and if we work to do what's right and exemplify all of the positive characteristics we'd expect to find in a patriotic American, I think we'll continue to enjoy all that's wonderful about this nation. Respect, tolerance, love, service, patriotism, duty, virtue, and morality, just to name few, are attributes I hope all Americans (and certainly people all over the world) can strive for.

Until next time, God be with you.

From today's broadcast "This is a Great Country"

Dallyn Vail Bayles was a guest artist on today's program.