Winter in Russia, 1812

In 1812, the proud French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to take Russia in a six-month long campaign that stretched throughout at least four harsh winter months. Throughout the bitter campaign that followed, Bonaparte lost approximately 380,000 men. Some estimate the casualties as closer to 450,000. These deaths were not caused by bombs, machine guns or missiles, nor even to bayonets and inaccurate single-shot muskets, but exposure to sickness and freezing temperatures. More men were lost in the campaign on Russia than either Britain or America put into the field during the entire Revolutionary War or the War of 1812, better known as the French and Indian War, which was going on at the same time. In the entire invasion of Russia, Bonaparte only crossed blades with the Russian army a few times. The tragic loss of life was due mainly to natural causes. This is the first part of a poem I wrote in memory of their campaign.

The Russian Winter of 1812

Open your mind and close your eyes,

And follow me if you can,

To a land where the snow never melts,

Where the lonely tragedy began.

Imagine the boots on a frozen plain,

The wind a howling whirl,

Their banners flying through the storm,

And through the gale unfurled.

The wind whips through their tattered ranks

And leaves its icy grasp

Upon the hearts and souls of each,

As through the plains they pass.

Long have they traveled upon the road,

And longer still have they to go,

Through wind and rain and hail and sleet,

On paths of freezing ice and snow.

Troubles mark their slow progression

And thousands will fall before the end,

For an icy rage in the hand of Winter

Is a fearsome foe to offend.

The cheerful rays of a summer sun

Have long since fled this land

There is no hope of victory,

But the troops go marching on.

The snow stretches across the fields

But melts with the coming rain

Churning the paths to a treacherous mire

To slow the retreating campaign.

Along the road lie the bodies of men

Half-covered with ice and snow

And horses lay prostrate and rigid,

Under the silent shadow.

The march is cruel and terrible

Men fall and fail to rise,

“Winter is with the Russians!”

That is their final cry.

Indeed, what other reason can there be?

To explain this woeful tale,

For if Winter were with the Frenchman,

Then her sons would not have failed.

What a Day!

Oh what a day! Starting off with the luxury of sleeping in until 8:00 and ending with a good book and a cup of tea! Oh but there were other things in between, like driving along windy and rain covered roads through familiar towns to see people who are literally 'familyiar'. But the best was yet to come. =Standing outside under a small overhang playing everything you can think of on an electric guitar with two fun and invincible guitar players who couldn't care less that the rain is coming down in sheets around us! Less-than-melodic sounds emanate from the amplifiers but no one seems to notice or care about them or the rain. Neither did I.

 I'd be willing to bet that none of you expected that bit about the guitars. I bet you expected me to talk about cups of tea and good books and romantic smells of rain and earth. There is that too. :) But if you know me, you know that standing in the rain playing a second-hand guitar has a bit of a Jukebox Hero feel to it, and that romanticism has never been my forte.

But that was not the end of my day. I gingerly packed up my guitar with the careful attention and serious expression that one would use in handing a baby over to a friend on the other side of a cliff and then made my way home. (I actually got that expression today from someone when I picked up their guitar. :) It is a look of surprise, supressed fear, intense inward stress and more than a hint of if-you-dare-drop-that-I-am-going-to....to...do-something-terrible-to-you!' I give people that look every time they breathe on my guitar. Some people call it obsessive, I call it 'cautionary action caused by lack of replacement funds and imminent possibility of damage caused by user's potentiality for ineptitude and carelessness'.

 But I told you there was a bit of the romantic as well. Sitting with candles, tea and cookies with 'Les Miserables' on my lap and my eyes on the opposite wall going, why, why, why, am I reading this book? Yes, yes, it is a classic, and a very good one, but Mr. Hugo seems to have thought of a million ways of avoiding dialogue and things that actually have a very important bearing on the immediate plot. If you doubt me, consider that when one is one pg. 615, you are just now only halfway through the book and the fact that the font size is 9. When I have finished it and watched the movie I suppose I will not regret having read it so I will stumble forwards to its completion.

What else? Well, then there is right now. Outside the fields are saturated with water, a cold northern wind is blowing and the pond has overflowed its banks. Our basketball hoop was split in two by ferocious winds, narrowly missing our car, and rivers of water are running through the pastures. But I am inside, writing this post, with every soundtrack from Braveheart and Sherlock to The Avengers and Spiderman playing in the background. 'Les Mis' is sitting beside me, judgmentally viewing my neglect of it and I am looking at it with the expression of one who knows his fate is approaching. Ah! well, "If we are marked to die, we are enough to do our country loss..."

P.S. When I am done with Les Mis, I shall come back and write what I thought of it, and if my opinions now were made prematurely, I shall correct them and state my new opinion.

P.P.S Here is a link to the great St. Crispin's Day speech where the above quotation is from.

'Son of God' and Beyond

I have seen several movies about the life of Jesus, including The Passion of the Christ, the Matthew Project and King of Kings along with a few others, but I believe that ‘Son of God’ is my favorite. I left the theater so encouraged and moved that I decided to write a post about it and show you what I took away from it, or rather, what He gave me through it. The movie had an unbelievable soundtrack, (composed by my favorite composer, Hans Zimmer) and a powerful message that went far beyond John 3:16, all the way to its fulfillment in the last lines of the Bible in Revelation. I have neither the time nor the desire to discuss plot, storyline, actors, etc. the things people usually discuss when writing a review and seem to think are the most important. I wanted, rather, to tell you why I think it is the best Jesus movie I have seen, to discuss its Biblical accuracy and how it affected the viewer, and to show you how it impacted me and what it left me with. I hope that I will have the space to fit all that in.

So then, why do I think it is the best Jesus movie I have seen? Firstly, the exterior factors. The soundtrack had a lot to do with my opinion of the movie. To me, soundtrack is one of the most crucial factors in determining a persons overall response to a movie, especially my response to a movie. Putting the right music in at that right moment is key to getting the emotions of the viewer and making your movie well remembered. In a future post, I will go into that in further detail. Soundtrack, acting, set, and filming are the most important external factors, I suppose, but they are boring and while they contributed each in their little share to my conclusion about the movie, they were not crucial. I will move on to the more important factors.

I prefer to think of movies as stories, not movies and that goes for ‘Son of God’ especially. I believe that people get caught up in action, special effects, filming, and fan-girling. ‘Son of God’ is a perfect example of how relatively unknown actors can produce a very good movie, but ah! stop right there…It is not a movie. It is a story, the best story ever told. Do not see it as a collection of random actors and filmstrips. It is the most important story ever told. That must be clear. Now that it has been made clear, we will move on.

Historical accuracy is very important, and some people have complained that the movie did not follow the Bible precisely. On the one hand, I would agree, and say, no it did not, (like when Jesus went into the tomb to raise Lazarus from the dead) but on the other hand, for the other things, I would say, “What does it matter?” The things that were omitted, paraphrased or changed were not major changes and did not undermine in any way the context or message of the Scriptures. Honestly, we do not know the exact chronology of the events written down in the Gospels and that is okay. What really matters is what Jesus said and why, not exactly where He said it. Even with the mistake of having Him go into the tomb to raise Lazarus instead of calling him out, I do not think that should affect too much the fact that He still held the power to raise Lazarus from the dead! As John himself said in closing his book, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” If you’re a Christian and up enough on your Bible trivia to know that something was left out or misplaced, but you also know that it did not take away from the message or twist Scripture, then that shouldn't matter that much. You know what’s being left out so you’re okay and the unbeliever coming in is not going to be thrilled with a three and a half hour long movie that details every miracle that Jesus performed or every word He said. I say this with the utmost respect, with the premise that Christ does not need three and a half hours to show the people His power.

I believe the directors realized that because there were so many Jesus movies, and the life of Jesus was so well known even among many secular circles in the modern world, it would be ‘just another preachy Jesus movie’ to many people. In that light, I think they did a fantastic job of producing a movie that broke some of the traditional boundaries set down in previous movies. The parables and words that Christ performed and preached were present at the right moment and the right time, allowing you to grasp their full power in light of the context they were presented in. I think they definitely produced a new Jesus figure, one whom I thought was far more accurate and like the Jesus of the Bible, not unlike him. That leads me back to the first point and also to the third topic, for they’re rather similar, the latter being the cause for the former. The things that stuck with me and made me give it a 5 star rating, are as follows.

Firstly, the power of Christ; not the power to perform miracles, but the power in His entire figure, His confidence in the message He had been sent to preach, His courage and joy amid His suffering. It is hard to explain the things one feels when they see that divine power. I struggle to control my disappointment and disgust with those who think that because Christ was meek, He was weak. Perhaps my anger is misplaced, but I do not believe it is unfounded. Christ is not weak. He is powerful and just because He took the form of a man, does not mean He was weak. Does He not say that He could ask the father and instantly have the aid of twelve legions of angels? A man, yes, but not a weak one.

I cried as the first five minutes of the movie flashed before my eyes, for it showed Christ’s power, and how He was there, with our ancestors, on Day 1 and what He left behind so that He could save us. I cried again as the last five minutes went by, for it showed that He will be there on the last day too. "It is done,” he says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end...“Behold, I am coming quickly.” This was interesting and new for me, because although I had read this Scripture, I had never watched a Jesus movie where it was emphasized so much like it was at the end of this one. These movies tend to end everything at the Resurrection, as if everything was going to be fine and happy after that, but they do not mention His role in the end, and they leave you with that oft-quoted, but never explained and less studied, sentence, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the Age.” It did not point ahead enough to what was coming like Alpha and Omega does and in the context of the movie, that sentence was powerful for me.

Another line that was put into ‘Son of God’, was in the last scene, when Christ appeared to John on the Island of Patmos. We do not know the exact details about this, but we do know that what Jesus said is straight from the book of Revelation. John was weeping and told Jesus that he had been waiting for Christ. Christ answered him with the second part of this verse: (verse 4) “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away…Behold I am making all things new.” I cried when I heard it. I took off my hat and cried as the movie closed and the credits rolled by to the song, Mary Did You Know?’ I had disliked that song before I saw this movie, but that was because I had not understood it fully. The version that played was incredible.

‘Son of God’ omitted the about the end of the age, like it did a few other famous translations of specific sentences Christ said that have become almost as famous as Christ Himself, as if changing it would somehow lessen their relevance. It would be silly to think that because John 3:16 says ‘For God loved the world so much’ instead of ‘For God so loved the world’ that somehow decreases or lessens the power of the verse. Paraphrasing did not take away from the movie, it added to it. It gave the movie that bit of originality to set it apart from the other movies and give you a new perspective, one that is the subject of my final point.

As we contemplate the life of Jesus, and how He was submissive and enduring of suffering and persecution, let us not forget that He could have called out to His Father at any time and that His Father would have “at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Perhaps you are not aware, but twelve legions is approximately 60,000 soldiers. Can you imagine what 60,000 heavenly angels could do to the entire Roman army? How much more could they do to the feeble Temple guard? Remember this when you study the humility of Christ. Do not forget Christ’s power as you study His love, for God is both the Lion and the Lamb, the Judge and the Redeemer, the King and the Sacrifice. This post is far too long as it is, and I apologize for that, but I wished to address every possible objection raised against the movie and to share some more besides. I will close with these words from our King, ““Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end…Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.”

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”

Links to soundtrack and trailer:
Various Artists – Son Of God Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQXDkZ4mec

Your Guardian Angel

Just a simple acoustic cover video I did of a song called 'Your Guardian Angel.' Great song and great tune, hope you like it!

Iron Will-Chapter 4

The next part of one of my books. I would appreciate any and all feedback so if you have a question or correction, please comment! Other chapters can be found in the category 'Stories' on my sidebar. Thanks!


 Jakin turned and proceeded silently out of the camp to the summit of the sloping hills that lay before the army. He hoped that the night-watch set over the army would retire by three o’clock so that the army’s preparation for battle would not be observed. Once upon the summit he ducked down just out of sight on the other side and began to run back to his own camp. He arrived at Garfield’s tent one minute late. He entered quickly and saluted. The captain looked up. “Report.”

            “The rebels have made camp for the night.”

“Good.”

            “It is fortunate we did not enter the valley. They had prepared an ambush, but were disappointed when we did not make any appearance. As far as I know their general assumes we are making camp.”

            “How do you know that?”

“He said so," replied Jakin.

           Garfield raised and eyebrow, but said nothing about it. “Excellent.”

“Not entirely. They have set a watch on us. We will not be able to move till after dark.”

            “It will be hard to get your men into position in time.”

“We’ll get there. On time.”

            The captain frowned doubtfully. “You had better.”

Jakin did not reply.

            “Do you still desire to go through with your plan?”

“I do. But,” he added quietly, “I will not be blamed if it fails. Also I request that this operation originate from my strategy, but your command.”

            The captain eyed him suspiciously for a moment. “Very well, take your men. If it fails, I will bear the blame.”

            A light sprang into Jakin’s eye and he said quickly, “Then draw up your troops; heavy cavalry in the middle, heavy infantry on both sides and light infantry to surround the enemy by ascending the ridges. Archery would be useful."

            The captain was amused by Jakin’s fire and his harsh commands, commands which he expected to be obeyed instantaneously as soon as the captain had given him the authority and taken the blame. Jakin forbade the horn from being used but instead ordered the word to be spread throughout the camp from mouth to mouth. The heavy infantry formed two wings on either side of the cavalry and the light infantry filed past with their commander, David Harrison, to receive their orders. Jakin surveyed David as he approached. He was a tall commander, still very young. His black hair was half-covered by his tri-corn hat lined with a silver edging to show he was a commander. His clothes consisted of white trousers and a white shirt covered in a blue vest. His face was stern in battle but he was known to be light-hearted when not surrounded by the sounds of war. A mustache was beginning to darken his upper lip but he was still practically a boy. Probably a relative of the king, thought Jakin.

            Indeed, he was not too far off. The boy was the son of William Harrison, the king’s chancellor.

Garfield began giving him his orders but then paused and turned to Jakin, “You command the light infantry with David. David, you can get your orders from him.”

            Just then Lucas filed past with the light infantry and Jakin thought for a moment before he ordered sharply, “There is a soldier here by the name of Private Lucas. Send him to me at once.”

            David’s face portrayed shock, but at a glance from Garfield, his uncle, he left and called Lucas.

Lucas came up, saluted and faced Jakin with a nervous look. “This man will co-command with us. Bring him and Captain David a horse.”

            Horses were brought and the two mounted, but Jakin remained on the ground speaking to Garfield.

           “It’s almost nightfall. I will lead the infantry around the ridge until they meet at the eastern side. We’ll be in position by three o’clock. That gives you time to give the soldiers a brief rest before the charge. You must be awake and in position by three thirty, for I’ll give the signal at three forty-five. Heavy cavalry charges, infantry follows and light cavalry patrols to make sure none escape. If we have complications and do not light a fire by four o’clock, then you must wait. Do not charge until you see two signal fires. The first means we’re in position, the second the order to charge. No doubt the rebels will see the first signal fire and try to escape by the front route. If they do then when the second fire is lit you will go forward to charge them. Understood?”

            “Yes sir.” said the captain with a smile on his face.

Jakin held the man’s bridle and said sternly, “Lives are at stake, Brigadier General Garfield. If you do not carry out my orders correctly then you might very well be tried for neglecting your responsibility. This is not some game that you and I are playing, no careless shift of authority or responsibility. My plan is sound and I trust it will work but only if you and your men obey to a turn all my orders.”

            Jakin turned and walked to the front of the heavy cavalry. He raised his voice and it rang out over the troops like a roll of thunder, commanding their attention and respect. “Soldiers and troops, Garfield has given me temporary authority over martial operations. The attack you are about to undertake will be easy but the trail through the canyon will not be one very well suitable for your horses. Therefore take care not to proceed too quickly or to separate from each other till it becomes necessary. No infantry can withstand your charge. You are invincible and victory is assured if you carry out your duties with proper attention and dexterity. There is no need to separate till their ranks are broken and they begin to run. At which point you will dismount and cut them down or take them prisoner. When you are in, the light cavalry will close up the entrance to the canyon. Any man found despoiling the rebel troops will be shot immediately. Micah Parson!”

            Parson stepped out of the light infantry and took the sword Jakin threw him. “You will join the second company of infantry.”

            Now, before we go any farther, we must clarify that one group of infantry was no lighter armed than the other, and neither were the cavalry groups. Jakin was speaking in a rather outdated fashion and what was understood was that the first company of cavalry would charge while the second remained behind to close the gap. After this instruction, Jakin gave the order for the cavalry and the heavy infantry to set up a temporary camp. This was carried out and Jakin retired some distance from the camp. Lucas was shocked at the authority Jakin spoke with and followed him to get the rest of the story. Jakin told it briefly and Lucas said teasingly, “You were a minute late. What happened? And I thought you would never take a commission.”

            “Did I?”

“No, but you took the responsibility which comes with one and that is the thing which you said you could never take.”

            Jakin nodded, “I did, but in this operation the situation is a little different. I freed myself of all responsibility. The idea originates with me but the operation was carried out by Garfield’s orders. Although I lead the party, my orders to them come straight from Garfield.”

            “What if something goes wrong and you have to order them to take measures that may be fatal?”

“Nothing will go wrong under my command,” said Jakin quietly.

            At this moment they were joined by David who stood rather awkwardly off to one side playing with the tassel on the shoulder of his officer’s uniform. In his mind he battled the longing to join and the reluctance to shove himself into a conversation between the man who was suddenly his captain and his friend.

            Lucas noticed his uncomfortable appearance and called, “Captain David!”

David turned and came over, “Yes?”

            His very words and bearing communicated the greatest humility and Lucas felt great respect and amiability towards him. “Do you want something?”

            David cast a nervous glance at Jakin and replied, “I wanted to ask the new captain when we were marching and what his plans were.”

            Jakin looked up. “We march at ten. Our campaign will last all night and part of the morning. You should get some sleep.”

Lucas realized that the young man desired to be with them and said, “Perhaps you’re not tired.”

            “Not at the moment," he said nervously. "What are your names, if I may ask?"
"Windsor and Lucas," said Lucas.
           "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," said David. 
Lucas inquired after the captain's family and reason for joining the army.
           The captain became slightly embarrassed at this question and shrugged. "My father is Chancellor. I owe my rank to is influence."
           Lucas returned the shrug. "It does not matter if the rank was given to you, it is what you do with it that matters.

      Jakin nodded. "Power in itself is not what corrupts, although some people think otherwise. It is what one does with it. Too many examples of corruption have been set for the people."

            David nodded and said quickly, “I have seen that for many years and it made me reluctant to take the position I have, but if nobody worthy comes to power then evil will always rule.”   

            “Precisely,” said Lucas, with a meaningful glance at Jakin. “Excellent point.”
David was encouraged by Lucas’ approval. “As Captain Jakin said, the power has been corrupted into a desire to rule which has destroyed much of our government. In my opinion, which I do not assume to be right, I think that governments and kings should be servants to the people. Isn’t that what their position should demand of them?”

            Lucas smiled to himself as Jakin immediately said, “Of course. They should consider their position an honor. This has been destroyed by ‘right of blood succession’ and hereditary kingdoms which entitle one to glory. One must work to attain glory and fame. Governing a nation for me would be a burden not a joy.”

            “If it was governed correctly.”

“Right. I assumed you knew what I meant.”

            David had broken down Jakin’s first wall: Silence. He had yet to break down Jakin’s numerous other walls though, and some of them would never be completely broken down. It was given to Lucas alone the ability to break down all Jakin’s walls.

        Lucas was overjoyed to find someone less gruff and stern than Jakin and the two were able to talk for hours on nearly every topic. Even Jakin was able to discuss certain things with them. It was only when they reached the topic of the military that Jakin was thrust outside. His beliefs were too extreme for David and Lucas. Their conversation had proceeded along its course until David happened to mention along the side of another argument, that military exploits were glorious. This was unacceptable to Jakin and Lucas smiled inwardly as Jakin argued coolly,

            “Any exploit which involves the killing of thousands of men and boys and the widowing of countless women and the orphaning of thousands of children cannot be glorious, Mr. Harrison. There are very few military exploits which are done for righteous causes or merciful justice and they have not visited these lands since this country was called Glasgow. True honor has deserted our ranks."

           "Yet you are in them?' asked David. 
“I was a draft.” replied Jakin sharply.