CIEMR: Before and After

[Flyin6]

Before and After

Another

CIEMR

By

Donald Harward

Ever think about the concept of “Before and After?” For some reason our good Lord puts these things on my mind just before I awake. Maybe the concept lasted for some time during my sleep, a place where time has no meaning and likely does not exist. But my feeling is that it just occurred most of the time. Like it just happened, as if someone placed a data card into my brain and pushed “Download.”

That happened this morning. It think I was dreaming about something from my Army and Combat days. I dream about that stuff almost every single night, but this morning’s episode sort of overrode all of that so I just remember it and not some dusty LZ or someone’s face or the crump of artillery in the distance. This morning I heard the words “Before and After” and just like that the whole thing was in my mind. Note that all this happened before my morning quoffee so that makes it a NCIC (non caffeine induced concept!)

Before and after…There is the situation before something and your life after something happened. For a soldier I talked to one day it was the moment he was looking through his ACOG at the guy who shot him, and the moment after with him sitting on the ground with a shattered arm. I know I just used the Armee card there, sorry about that, this is not meant to make one all teary eyed about someone’s misfortune. Nossir, this is to awaken us to the concept of “before and after.”

Let me give you some examples of before ad after situations in my life. Joining the Army, getting married, graduating high school, accepting Jesus as my Lord and savoir, pinning on those silver wings and shiny bar. For all those things there was a time before and the time after. The time after for all these things still goes on and will until I die a physical death, but will also carry eternal ramifications into my eternal spiritual life which lies just beyond the gates of death.

I can remember oh so clearly standing in that line of recruits in the MEPS station in Baltimore. In a straight line, perhaps our first formation??? We had our right hands raised and were looking at a man, an Army officer, and were repeating the words he was saying. My life had run up to that point a bunch of happen-stance events that now all stood behind me and the speaking of these words would place all that, my civilian life into the history files. When It was over the officer smiled and said welcome into military service as of this very second, you are now a US Army soldier. Just like that I was no longer in the before and was mindfully and with a bit of fear thinking of the after which had just started.

That happened at a single point. Just like graduating from High School. In one single event we all went from being kids dependent on our parents to becoming young adults who technically were in charge of their own lives. All that had happened before was relevant, however now in the past. A matter of history as it were, we could no longer shape who we were as a high school student and before us lay an entire adult life. Graduation was that moment spanning the before and the after of that time.

There was a before and after when I married Kathy. Oh how I wanted to call her my wife. She was beautiful, loving, intelligent, and she held the hope of a bright and happy future. I stood there at the altar and I listened as the fateful bride’s song started to play. I watched as a hundred other eyes did at the corner where the hallway met the sanctuary of Christ’s Chapel where we all waited. She appeared and the moments of not being married passed into eternity with her every step. We joined hands, we said our vows and turned to be introduced as Mr and Mrs Donald Harward and started off the “After” part of our life with a smile and a joyful heart.

Have you ever noticed how time is not linear in the before and after context? It seems to bunch up as you grow closer to an event, but opens back up and stretches into long eternities after? Getting ready to leave for vacation? You have more and more to do just before leaving, but afterward, you just unwind and expand into the peaceful and lazy and playful days ahead. And the wedding…! Did anyone get everything done? Did the details overwhelm you? Did you find yourself running out of time as things stacked up? And what of afterward? Did you just exhale a long easy breath and sort of sail into the reception and the honeymoon and the days afterward? (Well you should have ;-)!

Accepting Christ is a big, a very big “Before and After” moment. In all actuality, the most important any human will ever face. My before was one of ignorant self-confidence where I sort of negotiated with God. “Yes Sir, I’ll take that eternal life thing, yep, good with that, but I’ll just maintain control over my life. I mean look at all I did by myself…Special operations pilot and all that, yep, I’m pretty good at managing my life, but sign me up for the benefit package for sure.” Thinking about that time, I bet Father God was nudging an angel and saying, “Take a look at this one, this is gonna be good!”

For that time there was a life which if I want to be truthful, was a sinful, self-centered one that didn’t matter. Then the moment came when it all fell apart for me and I saw I was a naked no body with no hope. At that moment I surrendered it all to Christ in the hope he would speak m name to the father who would save me. And he did. That was the moment, and immediately following that a whole new life started. There was a time I did not really believe, the moment of salvation, and the time after spanning to this moment and beyond when all that junk of my past fell away and my heart changed forever. I had a before and after event to be sure.

Before and after’s seem to govern our course or more to the point, a change in that trajectory. They seem to govern history and life after. Before and after the renaissance were the dark ages and the time of enlightment and technology. Before and after world war two was a dark time of fear and a growing police state followed by a time of great peace and jubilation. Before and after an ice age, a volcanic eruption, a tsunami, a new job, hitting the lottery jackpot.
With all those there was that point of time where the balance shifted from what was to what is to come. Whether ominous or carefree, it all changed and remained in that changed state with the past being swept away. In many cases that moment was precipitated by a decision. A time when everything led up to a yes or a no. I I will or I won’t, and I do, or “What the heck was I thinkin’ heck no I’m not…” Sorry got a little carried away there, but you know where I was going with that, don’t cha? (Wink emoji)

Something drives the decision that gets to that moment between a before and an after. Sometimes fear or hopelessness, sometimes love and joy, sometimes uncertainty, and other times assuredness. Kind of like a super nova, it is a slow but methodical procession of events that march up and toward a brilliant explosion that yields a totally new paradigm that follows.

I feel that our nation is in the last days of a grand before. One that started in taverns and in small homes in the year’s preceding 1776 and could end sometime after January of next year. I feel that history will record the America rising up from such humble beginnings on the backs of great men and women to become the greatest of all nations. We became a singular place in human history where the value of human freedom and caring for others trumped our personal interests. We were a free people once who cowered to no one and had no ear for those who spoke against God given rights.

That was and is our before. But just as temperate climates eventually give way to ice ages, our freedom and our peace rapidly approaches a single point when all that will change. The same force which would fail to recognize an enemy and would even invite it into our home has infected the halls of our government. Freedom is a bit of a nuisance to these people. They fancy control over the masses, believing in their core that they can do a better job and we should just mind our place and do as we are told. They tell us of course, that we are free and the weak minded follow right along repeating the chorus they have been taught. Expressed by a complicit media and a subservient education system, all buttressed up with a system of laws who are “Managed” by politicized courts. Mind you these courts can place you illegally in jail with the stroke of a pen with their personalized interpretation of said law and all the while the masses will hardly notice fearing missing a cool scene from shark tank.

Much of our nation is so selfish, so twisted, so hate filled, and so stupid, as in not intelligent-stupid, that they would present, let alone elect a criminal for their candidate for president. What at all about Hillary makes her a good candidate to lead a free nation? Anything??? I can’t think of anything. But that’s my problem in this modern America, the fact that I actually, think.

America is facing its biggest before and after. Axis Germany, Italy, and Japan never stood a chance against an American people of that day. It was good against murderous evil and we were not made of the stock that would put up with that for long. Hitler doomed himself and his people the moment he started down the part of hate. But what of America today? Do we have a population cut from the same bolt of cloth? I certainly don’t think so. I see us as overweight and out of shape. So just from a physical standpoint we could be overrun by Chinese girl scouts. We are not morally centered. God at our core? Hardly! With grand institutions trumpeting gay rights, black rights matter, prochoice freedoms, feminism, embracing Islam and a host of other similar causes, we are a nation that supports and seeks to further the causes of Satan and make him triumphant.

Well there is that point that lies between the before and our fate after. In this context that point is called an election. Should we pull the wrong handle in sufficient numbers, in the honeymoon of the first 100 days will come a tsunami of nation killing laws, regulations, decrees and public will. The left empowered with their big win will steam roll our life into history, Preachers who effuse to marry a tow men, or later down the road, a woman and a dog will be jailed. Guns will first be registered, while ammo will be curtailed as well as magazines and other things deemed murderous and hateful by a brain washed elitist left. Coal mining will die and vast areas of Virginia, Kentucky, and other coal producers will fall into depression like times (Read: under government welfare control). The EPA will come down on people with a hateful revenge for having questioned them in the past. Many will be jailed for crimes such as digging a pond without a Washington bureaucrat’s approval. Life will change to one where we live opposite day all the time.

But it will not actually get to that point. Knowing that the time has come, insurrection will breakout. There will be news blackouts in areas where hired armies temporarily suspend the first amendment (Yes, that’s illegal) and engage citizens with drones, cannon and whatever they want to quickly kill and stabilize. Hmm just realize that will be a new morning briefing room term, “K&S Mission” Kill and stabilize missions. Yep, it fits, reads well, sounds good and is convincing and defining enough for the troop leaders charged with carrying out these missions.

But alas, not everyone will lie down and take it. I’m betting a few million start sniping, burning, interdicting, and generally messing with the authorities. That should get us to the point where a martial law plan and a nationwide campaign reinforced with foreign troops could surely get us back in check and in the aftermath, with UN troops having done a Yugoslavian style cleansing here, why not just sign up to the fact that the UN really is the governing body and just accept their rules as our law.

Far fetched you say? Couldn’t ever happen here you’re thinking. OK well, take a moment. Think about your neighbors…Which ones will fight to resist an oppressive government? Look either side of your cube. Who has the stamina or courage to stand and say no to oppression? You have your answer staring you right in the face.

We are in the before time of our republic. It could all change on one day in November.

[TexasRedNeck]

Channeling my inner Shawn....

Or even if we reject Hillary in November the DNC might steal the election through electronic voter machine fraud.  Lord knows they've tried everything, including restoring voting rights to felons.

oh, and for the record.  I'm not the man I used to be but I think I can handle one Chinese Girl Scout...

I am with you Don.  I just wish I had the world's largest bull horn to shout at America.

WAKE UP YOU FOOLS!

I was at breakfast with a like minded friend, who immigrated from Croatia (escaped, actually) in 1976 under communism and Marshall Tito (that's a great American story in itself that I'll have to relay one day) and there were two libs talking about last night's DNC.  I politely spoke up and said if you are a democrat, please don't vote and please don't procreate.  You could have heard a pin drop.

[Flyin6]

Gutsy move, Mav...

[cudakidd53]

Well, living in the land that spawned the two Wonder Twins of Satan (H & O) [Did I just spell Ho?] I've been recently saddled with a $.05 a ROUND tax on center fire ammo in the county I live in, AND learn that I'm now an "outlaw" based upon changes in the laws directly after some acquisitions.......(insert the words of Charlton Heston here) I can honestly say, I can't WAIT to be able to move outta this state!

In answer to your query Don, as in times past, it will fall upon the III or 3% which, based upon current sentiment, even around my current local, will grow beyond that number of 3%.  Given the vast number of recent military members that have been forcibly mustered out of service, along with those who've left of their own distaste for "policy" driven by an enemy within, I'm certain that the conflict that erupts, will rival those previously seen within this Nation.

We are told, that prior to Christ's return, there will be a world wide "awakening" and a "turning" to the Christian - my inner voice tells me that this may very well be where this election falls into God's plan.  Trump, certainly plays the part of our obvious choice to see this "return" as a possibility for this to take place......or should the Evil One triumph and Hellory be elected, the triumph of the "People" against tyranny for a second time in this Nation's history, would probably trigger a return to One Nation Under God.....Let's hope and WORK towards the calmer outcome of Trump winning in November!

[stlaser]

Nice TRN! ;D

As you all know I'm not voting for either knucklehead. However, I'll share some information. I don't do Facebook but my wife took it upon herself to create a "joint" account for us a few months back to share stuff with our family in other parts of fusa. So as it turns out she accepts "friend" requests from sodomites who work for her & other democratic leaning people she knows. So I've had about all I could take of seeing these dumb unintelligent posts on "our" "joint" account.

With that said I start posting anything I think will elicit a response from the cheap seats. Well as it turns out I'm just too immature for fb & the wife has now shut it down indefinitely. One of her friends calls the other day to ask about it & replies why doesn't Shawn get his own account? Wife states he doesn't want one & her friend says yeah that sounds about like him.....

So as I see it I did my family right & "we're" no longer on that crap!

Praise be to our Lord & Savior! ;D

[TexasRedNeck]

Amen Shawn. And here's a picture of His covenant


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[stlaser]

Copy that TRN!

On a similar note, read this & thought of you......


http://www.freemansperspective.com/calling-things-true-names/

Edit: for the record on item #2 I think Don takes that second part a bit to much to heart btw......

[TexasRedNeck]

Thanks Shawn. One more reason I use the correct phrase Homosexual and not gay, lesbian.  I'll have to think one the transgender one....


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[Atkinsmatt]

We could use male and female.  God used those and that is good enough for me.

[Flyin6]

Copy that TRN!

On a similar note, read this & thought of you......


http://www.freemansperspective.com/calling-things-true-names/

Edit: for the record on item #2 I think Don takes that second part a bit to much to heart btw......

Yep

But I'm only a pilot

I just shoot stuff, deliver the warriors, and pick up their smelly butts now and again

But spend most of the time complaining that my feather bed is lumpy and either the heat is too warm, or the AC is too cold, or the carpet isn't plush enough, or the rental car's CD doesn't work, or I had to work 6 hours today and I'm tired!

[TexasRedNeck]

^^ what ever, dude.


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