February 8, 2021
An old Doberman starts chasing rabbits but before long discovers that he’s lost. Wandering about, he notices a young lion heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch. The old Doberman thinks, “Oh, oh! I’m in deep do-do now!”
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the lion is about to leap, the old Doberman exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious lion! I wonder if there are any more around here?
Hearing this, the young lion halts his attack in mid-stride. A look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. “Whew!,” says the lion, “That was close! That old Doberman nearly had me.”
Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the lion. So, off he goes.
The squirrel soon catches up with the lion, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the lion. The young lion is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine!
Now, the old Doberman sees the lion coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?” Instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn’t seen them yet.
Just when they get close enough to hear, the old Doberman says, “Where’s that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another lion!”
Moral of This Story: Don’t mess with the old dogs. Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
Thanks to Brian and Elizabeth!
👉 From the funny to the ridiculous. I edited this 2 minute 21 second clip from a recent broadcast of NBC Nightly News. The store owner, Alfie Oaks, doesn’t believe masks work, and doesn’t believe the reported death toll. He refuses to wear a mask. The reporter points out that there is a law for wearing masks in Naples, Florida, where the video was shot, but the governor has stripped the ability of law enforcement officers from fining people who do not wear masks. Watch this, and just shake your head.
👉 Last week QB shared a report from Florida’s cruise terminals about the unlikely start up any time soon. Today a report out of Canada is even gloomier. A ban on cruise ships with more than 100 people coming to Canada will remain in place until February 2022, according to Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra who said, “Cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to our health-care systems. The government of Canada will continue to evaluate the situation and make changes as necessary to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians.”
👉 And that leads to an even more serious report from our neighbors to the north. Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the military commander leading vaccine logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said Thursday Canada doesn’t know how many Moderna doses will arrive in the weeks ahead and the company hasn’t said why it has reduced shipments to his country. Moderna reduced shipment quantities for the week of February 1-7 (from 230,400 to 180,000 doses). The week of February 22 will also be impacted, but Moderna cannot confirm allocations for that week yet. Pfizer has offered some explanation for why its shipments have been dramatically lower than expected – plant upgrades at a facility in Belgium caused deliveries to drop by 80 per cent. No word yet from Moderna on why it has had to put off tens of thousands of doses to a later delivery date.
👉 San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is a National Historical Park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas. These outposts were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives. The missions are: Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.
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| Mission Concepción |
But it is the fifth (and best known) mission in San Antonio, the Alamo, which is not part of the Park – it is owned by the State of Texas – that we visit today.
The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico from February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836. The Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort.
In the 1700s, the Alamo was built as a home to Spanish missionaries. Over time, the mission was turned into a fort for Spanish soldiers who called the fort the “Alamo,” which means “cottonwood tree.”
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| The Alamo, from an 1854 drawing. |
In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain. At the time, Texas was part of Mexico. Many Americans moved to Texas and became Mexican citizens. In 1832, a powerful Mexican general named Santa Anna took control of the government. The Texans (called “Texians” at the time) rebelled and declared their independence.
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| Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón |
Santa Anna gathered an army of 1,800 to march on Texas and take it back. The Texans were led by Lieutenant Colonel William Travis, frontiersman James Bowie, and famous folk hero Davy Crockett.
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| Wiliam Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett |
When the Texans heard that Santa Anna was coming there was much debate on whether the fort should be abandoned. Texas’ leader, Sam Houston, wanted the fort abandoned and the cannon removed. However, Travis decided he would stay and defend the fort. General Santa Anna and his troops arrived on February 23, 1836. They laid siege to the fort for 13 days. On the morning of March 6, the Mexicans launched a major attack. The Texans managed to fend off the first two attacks, but there were too many Mexican soldiers and they scaled the walls entered the fort, and killed every Texan soldier in the fort.
Although the Texans lost the battle, it galvanized the rest of Texas against Mexico and General Santa Anna. A few months later, Sam Houston led the Texans to victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Texans rallied to the cry of “Remember the Alamo!” during the battle.
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The Fall of the Alamo (1903) by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk, depicts Davy Crockett wielding his rifle as a club against Mexican troops who have breached the walls of the mission. |
👉 Today’s sermon from the Crawfordville Pulpit is “To God Be The Glory!”
👉 Today’s close is by Adrian Rogers.
“Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
You want a blessed thought? You are on Jesus’ prayer list. There’s nothing more comforting to me than for someone to tell me they pray for me. I once met a man who said, “Adrian, I prayed for you this morning. I pray for you every day.” That moved me greatly. There are seven billion people on this earth. Some have never been prayed for one time. If you’re on anybody’s prayer list, you’re blessed.
But I can tell you, you are on Jesus’ prayer list. The Lord Jesus knows you by name. You came to God by Jesus? Then you are on His prayer list. The finished work of Jesus is Calvary. The unfinished work of Jesus is His prayer ministry.
Thank Him today for the truth that “He ever lives to make intercession” for you.
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