My “To Do” list on Sunday is for rejuvenation, rest, and relaxation:

1. Worship practice.
2. Play for the church service.
3. Take a nap.
4. Watch a movie.
5. Read a book.

Yesterday, I watched an old war movie, “The Naked and the Dead.” I am not a fan of violence and gore. In fact, I refuse to watch “R” rated movies for that reason. The older movies use a little ketchup for blood and the scenes are not graphic.

The thing that draws me to those movies is the indomitable human spirit. You see flowers on the table in a house abandoned because the front line turned. You see men and women overcoming impossible odds and obstacles. You see men following orders they disagree with or don’t understand.

One lieutenant served as a general’s aide. He didn’t agree with him and defied him. The general assigned him to lead a dangerous patrol.

“…rejection is nothing more than redirection,…some of the heartbreak in your life was really God moving you into postition for some of the blessings that He desires to bring…” “When Somebody Rejects You,” 1 Min Motivation, Steven Furtick

On this patrol was a soldier whose wife died giving birth. Grieving, he agreed with the soldier that saw the futility of everything. They lost a lot of soldiers along the way. The lieutenant was gravely injured. The sargeant assigned 3 men to carry him back 18 miles to the boat.

There were only 5 left when they reached their objective. Then their sargeant was killed. One soldier peeked over the ridge and saw thousands of enemy soldiers pulling out. They radioed in the coordinates and their comrades started a major offensive.

The 4 soldiers sat in the woods listening to the explosions. The pessimistic soldier thought it didn’t matter what they did because they would die anyway. The new father stood up.

“I’m going back! I have a motherless baby that needs me.”

The 4 men climbed down the mountain, swam across a river, and marched to the beach. They reached the boat before it left with the wounded lieutenant.

When the general came to the hospital, the lieutenant said,

“There’s a spirit in man that’ll survive all the reigns of terror and all the hardships. Man cannot achieve the authority of God. …The spirit in man is godlike – eternal, indestructible.” The Naked and the Dead

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Genesis 1:27, “God created human beings, He created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature…” The Message

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Revelation 14:13, “…’Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.’ ” The Message

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