Valley
marine calls himself to duty at an Elementary school. Sgt. Craig
Pusley wears his desert camo fatigues...no weapons...just him. Took it
upon himself to go to the nearby school and stand watch outside. The
school loved it. The principal thanked him. No pay..no breaks...just
his heart felt need to do this. His reward? Marine Corp Reservists
says he violated protocol bt wearing his fatigues
and not his dress uniform in public. Facing $10,000 fine and 5 years in
prison. Also getting a "dishonorable" stamp on his "honorable"
discharge.
He served 2 tours in Iraq, in Baghdad and Ramadi. One in Helmand province of Afghanistan before leaving active duty.
Now he is writing a letter to the President apologizing for his actions.
WAKE UP! This man is a wonderful outstanding brave hero in my book and
to think for a second that his heart felt need to go stand in front of
his little neighborhood school was wrong. Screw you! The President
should be sending him a Thank you letter.
So I salute you Sgt. Craig Pusley. Thank you!
This is something I would like to see go viral. Let's stand up and say
Thank you to this man who didn't think twice...he followed his heart and
there is no crime in doing that.
I was thinking about what are the most important things is life. I came across this stoy and thought it was a great why to describe and answer my question.
"A
professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles roll
ed into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the
jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured
the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space
between the sand.The students laughed..
‘Now,’ said the
professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this
jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your
family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite
passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your
life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter
like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything
else—-the small stuff.
‘If you put the sand into the jar
first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf
balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with
grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There
will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.
Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer
represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The
Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s
always room for a couple of Beers with a friend."
So Think About What Your Golf Balls Are In Life...
This is a follow up post for my last blog. Sure I want to conserve the environment and nature so others can see the beauty I see but I also want to Protect the animals that we have now, because with the masive amounts of deforestation and the human population growing rapidly we are encroaching on all their habitat.
So back to the real question: What does God think about Animals and their habitat?
God's Covenants with Animals
"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth." (Genesis 9:9-10)
God's Concern for Animals
"And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you." (Genesis 6:19)
"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief." (Exodus 23:12; cf. Deuteronomy 5:14)
"You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." (Deuteronomy 25:4)
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight." (Luke 12:6; cf. Matthew 10:29)
God's Promise to Animals
"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6-9)
"The land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and garner their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the Lord.... The land is to have a year of rest." (Leviticus 25:2-5; cf. Exodus 23:10-11)
"The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants. Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide for the redemption of the land." (Leviticus 25:23-24)
Humans Have Defiled the Land
"I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination." (Jeremiah 2:7)
"How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished." (Jeremiah 12:4)
"It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares." (Jeremiah 12:11)
"Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?" (Ezekiel 34:17-18)
"There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying." (Hosea 4:1-3)
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)
Consequences of Defiling the Land
"He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a saltwaste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there." (Psalm 107:33-34)
"Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. The LORD almighty has declared in my hearing: 'Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants. A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine, a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.'" (Isaiah 5:8-10)
"The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish together with the earth. The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth; its inhabitants suffer for their guilt." (Isaiah 24:4-6)
"You have polluted the land with your whoring and wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come." (Jeremiah 3:2-3)
"The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-and for destroying those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:18)
Seeing as it is Sunday I went to church and my brain started thinking about nature and I asked myself I am fighting for nature but I don't really know what God says about it.
So I started to look up Bible verses about nature. I know I am here to do Gods work and I feel that spreading knowledge about the beautiful place God created will help!
So without further ado here are some verses I looked up...
Job 12:7-9 - But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
Matthew 6:26-29 - Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to your life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these."
Romans 1:20 - For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Isaiah 45:18 - For thus says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
Job 28:10 - He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and his eye sees every precious thing.
Ecclesiastes 1:7 - All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
Psalm 1:3 -They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
Psalm 24:1-2 - The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Genesis 2:19 - So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the human to see what he would call them; and whatever the human called every living creature, that was its name.
Proverbs 6:6 - Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
Cross Country Road Trip
So I flew out to California and did a four day road trip to Kansas. I got bored when I couldn't take photos so I decided to look up fun facts. Here are a few!
California - Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Not all American black bears are black! Colors also include chocolate, brown, cinnamon, and even blonde. When you see a brown-colored bear in Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks, you are seeing a black bear, not a grizzly. Although a grizzly is on the state flag, none remain in the wilds of California.
California - Mojave National Preserve
The venom of the Mojave rattlesnake is extremely toxic and causes more respiratory distress than that of any other North American rattlesnake. Due to its unique hue, it is known locally as the Mojave green.
Nevada -
Whether or not you realize it, we are living with wildlife on a daily basis.
Most likely there are many critters with whom you share your
environment (squirrels,raccoons, rabbits, snakes, bears and many more!).
Just like we have adapted to our surrounding, wildlife does the same,
whether it is in an city or rural setting.
Nevada -
Nevada has a total of 315 counted mountain ranges, making Nevada the most mountainous state in America.
Utah - The Arches
Feeding wildlife can be very detrimental to their health. It can destroy their natural ability to find food and create a dependency on humans. Animals that develop such a dependency often become aggressive toward humans and must be relocated or even killed.
Utah - The Arches
There are more than 2,000 arches in the park; to be classified as an arch, the opening must measure at least three feet across.
Colorado -
The Dwight Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel between Clear Creek & Summit
County is the highest auto tunnel in the world. Bored at an elevation of
11,000 feet, under the Continental Divide, it is 8,960 feet long and
the average daily traffic exceeds 26,000 vehicles.
Colorado - Colorado has 222 state wildlife areas.
Kansas -
The
diverse Kansas ecosystem supports a variety of wildlife populations.
The eastern timber areas to western grasslands, the arid high prairie
environment, the Flint Hills and the Red Hills, lakes and reservoirs
Kansas -
The Smoky
Hills are rugged limestone hills in central Kansas. The Flint Hills, in
east central Kansas, cover several million acres of undulating,
virtually treeless prairie and are also the largest segment of true
tallgrass prairie remaining in the United States. The Gypsum Hills in
south central Kansas provide a panorama of buttes and mesas.
U.S. National Parks -
2,461 national historic landmarks
582 national natural landmarks
400 endangered species
398 national parks
These are some that I found just random tidbits... Enjoy! Photos to come on my facebook page.
Dani Raé
www.daniraestudio.com
dani@daniraestudio.com
I am Dani Raé Photography and I am all about the Be Aware movement.
Here is where I start Blogging about my photography anything and everything else that I am passionate about. This could include photo shoot that I do in my classes at the Art Institute International- KC. This could be something concerning conservation. Maybe even something that is going on around the world or even next door that I think people should Be Aware of.
Short Blog for today.
Dani Raé
www.daniraestudio.com
dani@daniraestudio.com
