"TO THE OCEAN, WHITE WITH FOAM"

During our family gatherings on Saint Simons Island, Georgia it has been my habit to arise early in the mornings and walk on the beach down to the pier and the village where I would buy a cup of coffee, eat breakfast and read the daily newspaper. Being from the hill country of northwest Georgia I am still fascinated by the appearance of the Atlantic Ocean. When the tide comes in the waves would hit the rocks and splash over them. The white caps were beautiful. Often I would express my deepest gratitude to God for His marvelous creation. Both the heavens and the earth with its seas declare the glory of God (Psalms 19). The book of nature indeed proves that there is a Supreme Architect who designed this universe (Romans 1:20). Though not a world traveler I have seen some of the beauties of our country with its mountains in the southeast and in the western part of our nation, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With all the faults that exist in our United States of America I do believe as a citizen that we live in the greatest nation on earth The pilgrims and early settlers sought freedom to worship God in this new land while settlers in the South American countries sought gold. Our governmental leaders possessed a faith in the Creator of the universe. There is no doubt that the Lord God has richly blessed this land and its people. The wise man declared that “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people'' (Proverbs 14:34). While sin and disbelief have always been in existence, our modern day society has strayed greatly from a faith in God and from His moral standard for human conduct. Atheism is growing daily; sexual perversion is commonplace; dishonesty and corruption are widely accepted and exist among many of our political and civic leaders; the killing of unborn children is considered acceptable since it is legal; adultery is prevalent among marriage partners and fornication among teens and adults abounds nationwide. Man has become a law unto himself (Judges 21:25). The Word of God is no longer reverend even among some religious groups. The blood of thousands of our men and women who have fought for our country and our freedom flows like a mighty river; yet, we are using this freedom to destroy the moral fiber of our people. It has become a license to do as we please without considering what God would have us to be as a nation of people. Eventually we will reap as we have been sowing (Galatians 6:7, . It is most important that we give heed to the following warnings: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God” and “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces” (Psalm 9:17; 50:22). The story is told about a student who wanted to fool his professor in some way. He held a bird in his hand and asked the professor, “What do I have in my hand?” The professor replied, “It is a bird.” The student asked, “What color is it?” “It is a red bird,” answered the professor. Then the student asked, “Is it dead or alive?” The wise old professor said, “The power of life or death is in your hand?” The power to revive faith in God and His standard of morals and ethics is in our hands. May the lyrics of the beautiful song ‘God Bless America’ written by Irving Berlin ever be our desire, hope and prayer. God Bless America "While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. " God Bless America,Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide herThru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies,To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.”