The Saga Continues…

In a previous entry entitled The Mute, Poignant Ironies of a Life Well Lived,  I had shared how God’s provision for my life has included some very seemingly coincidental times, which in reflection, I have perceived as mute irony.

Thankful as I have been and remain, I promised to share this entry with you a bit later, and in keeping that promise, here it is.

I hope you enjoy it.

Sharing Some Foxhole
Posted: March 31, 2008 12:43 am by KG4RCP

Today, I attended church in Galilee.

That would be St. John’s in the Wilderness Episcopal Church at Galilee Episcopal Camp and Conference Center in Glenbrook, Nevada.

Situated on the eastern shore of the southern portion of Lake Tahoe at an elevation of 6,300 feet above sea level, St. John’s in the Wilderness has a Gothic window in the apsis (a domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a church, which usually contains the altar) and has a direct view across Lake Tahoe’s blue-green waters of snow-covered Mount Tallac. The word ‘Tahoe’ is a Washo Indian word meaning ‘water in a high place’.

http://stjohnsnv.tripod.com/photos.html

Within the sanctuary are 12 “Stations of the Cross” plaques which were created by the late renown Southwest American artist Ted DeGrazia. They complement the six, more modern, stained-glass windows depicting the themes of “The Sacrament,” “Christ the King,” “the Nativity,” “the Trinity,” “the Holy Spirit,” and “the Flood.” The building and its ruggedly beautiful and historical physical facility was moved to its present location along U.S. Highway 50 in 1944 from Goldfield, NV after Harvey’s casino became a next-door-neighbor. Conflict of interest, you know…

After the 10AM worship service, I walked down to and over the shore of the cold, wind-blown lake. It was strewn with rugged boulders, innumerable smooth fist-sized flat stones buried in white sands interspersed with black sand. Plenteous pine trees lined the shores and mountain sides, some which were over 100 feet tall.

White-capped waves crested, and then washed ashore as the nearly constant west-to-east winds drove them and the billowing clouds from the mountain ranges, visible from as far as the eye could see.

I wondered if perhaps the terrain where the Messiah, when He walked this Earth in human form, was much like what I was walking upon.

The magnificent beauty of the scenery is beyond my feeble ability to describe.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/recreation/tallac/

Sometimes, things don’t go as we anticipate, hope or expect. Yet, the surprisingly best part is that “all things work together for the good.”
When, in military maneuvers, the forward line of attack is advancing, it is important for another unit to protect the rear element of the advance. That is, someone must “watch the back.” Today, we hear the common phrase, “I got your back,” which describes someone’s role or relationship to a leader. UrbanDictionary.com describes it as “assuring someone that you are watching out for them.”

In the 1898 book “Elements of Military Science,” Arthur Lockwood Wagner wrote that the formation and composition of the rear guard “is that of an advance guard reversed,” and “practically the same as that of an advance guard.” He wrote further that the commanders of rear guards should be “prudent… without being timid” and “brave… without being rash,” and “ready to fight, even to the extent of sacrificing himself and his entire command if necessary.” The members of the rear guard should be “the best troops” and their strength “depends upon the nature of the country, and the strength and character of the pursuing force.”

The rear guards’ duty, protecting a critical, weak or vulnerable element, is an important task. It sometimes receives little or no glory, because to the casual observer, all the ‘action’ is on the front lines. But it is not without danger. It can be as dangerous as the front line, because of the potential for unsuspecting surprise attacks upon the most vulnerable and operationally significant elements of the advancing force, including communications and command.

As I trek this journey, I am reminded that I too have a rear guard, select ones who “got my back.” And to them, I share this song, as an anthem to us, and to the purpose to which we are all called… that is, to serve in unity, constancy and peace.

“You and me, we never had to fight in any wars, on some foreign soil in the pouring rain, sharing some foxhole, fighting some enemy that we don’t know, in a place we cannot name.

“But God knows that life is a war, if you live at all, you’re gonna’ do battle.

“But no matter what the weapons may be, no matter which enemy may attack, well, it’s you my friend, I would want to watch my back.

“And I’m proud to say I served with you.”

Watch My Back
By Wes King
© 1997 Sparrow Song/Uncle Ivan Music
BMI work # 4149401