Today's Photograph . . . . The Lord Your God Is With You Wherever You Go . . . . (NPS)
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Bible Study Verse
Joshua 1:9"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (NKJV)
Thoughts
Another teammate of Doris Miller's, the first African-American recipient of the Navy Cross (mentioned yesterday), on the nicknamed WeeVee, the USS West Virginia, was Sylvester Pucci. As
a member of the brave ones he remained silent about his quick thinking
that saved his ship, his teammates, and their future generations.
The WeeVee started listing at a 28 degree due to her one side ripped open by torpedoes. Captain Mervyn Bennion, later awarded the Medal of Honor, in the last moments of life directed Lt. Claude Ricketts to start counterflooding the ship.
On battleships all compartments were shut and sealed in a procedure called "set zed." Therefore if an area was damaged, adjacent sections remained water-tight. If one side of the ship became flooded, the other side can be manipulated for balance by counterflooding.
Pucci wisely attacked the hinges and freed the counterflood cranks. The action report notes the sailors ran through the lower decks, opening flood valves in the proper sequence to deter the listing. WeeVee responded slowly swinging back on its keel to rest upright.
Without
targeting the storage door hinges, the ship would have capsized. Pucci
utilizing mere seconds ran his race, used his God given intelligence
even after the counterflooding started with the ship was listing so
badly that most wouldn't have tried thinking it was too late. He is now
known as "the Angel sent by history."
(Jo Q)
Action Point
Position
is everything we are told and I agree. To follow God's lead, blindly
follow Him in faith when circumstances are screaming at me to STOP and
FOLLOW WHAT'S WORKED IN THE PAST, obediently trusting Him through
following His instruction through His Living Word, living in Faith, Not
Fear, and taking every thought captive to Jesus - You and I Win!!!!
What
if Pucci wasn't in the best of moods and hadn't broke the storage door
hinges to right his ship? What if he decided to jump his ship early to
make sure he survived without a care for his fellow teammates? What if
he justified since he wasn't getting paid what he was worth, he wasn't
going to put his best foot forward? Scary . . . same reasons we hear why
many of us don't share Jesus with our friends and family.
There's
no guarantee any of us will see tomorrow, we need to make today
count!!! I still have loved ones - family and many friends that keep
postponing their decision on where they will spend eternity. People it's not about what we want. It must be what He wants.
Yes, position is everything. Where does He want you? The safest place to be is in the center of His plan for your life.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Attach
a cord from the boat motor mount to your boat plug. In case it comes
loose, it can retained. It's not a bad idea to have a spare plug on
board also.
