The Pursuit of God

I started a new book called the Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. So far, very interesting. It makes you think. I will update more when I get into it further. It won't be long. It's a short book.

Finished

I have finished Flags Of Our Fathers. The thing that really sticks out as a common theme throughout the book is that the marines involved in the battle of Iwo Jima had a common view of their role there. Most people would agree that what they did was heroic. They on the other hand seem to believe that they were not heroes. They say they did what they had to do. They say the only thing that kept them moving forward was the presence of their buddies. They took care of each other. They had too.

Isn't common view of a hero someone who does the extraordinary in the face of certain disaster? Maybe not. Maybe a hero is an ordinary person who is not afraid to the ordinary things that have to be done. Maybe it is as simple as that. The boys on Iwo Jima didn't do what they did because they wanted to. They did it because they had too. They didn't back away from the thing they had to do. For this they are heroes. Thanks to all of them!

Flags Of Our Fathers

I am getting close to the end of this book and I have learned a lot about the realities of WWII.  Although my opinion hasn't changed, that war is sometimes necessary, I was impacted by the severity of it during WWII.  The boys that were involved particularly in the invasion of Iwo Jima were exposed to some of the most brutal combat ever known.  They were only boys.  Boys that became calloused men over the span of about a month.  The winning of this small island played a pivotal role in our ability to overtake Japan.  The mission, however, took it's toll in the form of American boys.  Boys that overcame their fears to protect the homeland.  There were a lot of heroes among them.