Mark 6

So, I had my last facilitator meeting today. Summer sounds a lot like Rambo movies and intern work. Plus Jurassic World, can I get an amen? However, Summer has also brought an end to our blog posts and community. 

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who commented and supported my blog posts. Your words mean so much to me, and ended up being the climax of my projects achievement. As I said, grades were never a goal for me. My goal was simply to see one person view America in a better light, and you have made that happen. 

Secondly, let's talk about the projects progression. This blog has seriously opened up some new horizons for me, as far as having a place to channel my heart for America. In a larger capacity, it helped me break out of my box and enter into a bit more routine, followed by the presentation. Sure, my knees were shaking and I was stuttering like an idiot when trying to explain Sykes-Picot. But something happened in my heart, and I realized that I loved every minute of it. I want to speak. I do a lot of Facebook posts, that has been my main outlet. But after this project, I have decided I would like to begun making and uploading videos to YouTube. I have done a few before, but I think that continuing that, along with some comedy and story telling, because I am a huge fan of story telling, the future is promising. 

Walking away from this project, I have something that I didn't walk in with: I feel very strongly for the first time in my life, that the only way this Nation is going to be saved, is by the love and courage of her countrymen. Not violence, not fear-tactics, or controlling laws that force people to do things against their will. We are facing dangerous times, but we must counteract them with hope. Hope is contagious. It is made of faith. Faith is the belief of things unseen. Our country needs that. We, the People, need to see that. To see a love so true that it will not be ashamed or cut down. I have asked you to stand with me. How can you stand? Simply speak hope. Sing a different song, one that hope dances to. 

America is an invitation to a higher way of life. A way of freedom, and liberty in hand with justice. America is a country of men and women who question the impossibilities of life. From the landing of the Pilgrims, to the present day, we are courageous, hope-filled lovers. Let that not be crushed by fear or guilt. In a time when there are fingers pointing from every direction, and labels being stuck to your back, remind these people who they are. Not lost children, but courageous adventurers who have no boundaries or fears. Let us be one Nation under God. Let us be children of hope, and history makers. 

But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations...This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution. - John Adams 

Thanks for listening. 

Have a good one. 

R.A. Verhey

Hello, and welcome to Mark 5 of the Guts and Glory blog. I am sitting in my room lit by Christmas lights because I am more hipster than I care to admit, looking at my three by five American flag and thinking, what a history.  Today’s post tempted me to tell you a story, a story about that flag, how she got to the place where she flies over our country.  However, I must tell you a story about my own experiences. Now watch as I do both.

            The most impacting part of the last few week’s project, happened on a Sunday afternoon not a week ago. The sky was clouded with forgotten memories and longing, and I, travelling up the mountain roads, longed with it. The more I see my country, the more I tread her mountains, the more I lay in her grasses, staring up into the sky, the more I feel the peace of God, the more I feel in love with something greater than I could ever be. As I was up in the mountains, I was overwhelmed by the freedom that this land invites her inhabitant to, a gift from God given to any who would receive. More on that in my last post. I am not a hippy, very far from it. I know there have been moments when I sounded like one, but rest assured, I am not on pot. Anyway. A large part of my love for the land of America, is in her history. I was thinking back on it the other day, while driving out of the mountains, actually. The very beginning of America is a miracle, it is in itself an impossibility. Not only the Constitution, and the face that what we have done as a nation has never been achieved, but the actual victory of the Revolutionary War.

For instance, there was a point where George Washington and his army were preparing to meet the British in battle. His men were worn, tired, and scared out of their wits. They were farmers turned to soldiers by love for something sweet as freedom. They were men with enough training to get by, but not nearly as much as the British. So, when the battle began and the British came charging in, all the soldiers began retreating from the battle, with Washington charging into the heat of it, yelling, Come back or I will shoot you in the back. They didn't come back. He was so angry with the men, so infuriated with the lack of courage they portrayed, that he rode up to the British front lines and sat there, glaring at them. They unleashed all the hell they could muster, but not one bullet touched Washington. The grace of God has been on the courage of the heart of America from the start. It is by His hand alone that we are here. 
These were thoughts I was lost in for a good while. They largely inspired my last post. They largely inspire my life. The idea that America is here for a reason, that we are here for a reason, that there is something to stand for, that is what captures my gaze. Because I want to stand, I want to be so scared that my knees quake, I want to serve and to love and to love to the extreme. That is where my heart is. I guess my thoughts really are, will there be anyone who stands with me? It isn't a guilt trip matter. It is a literal question. I know that when I am with people I trust, there is nothing I am afraid of. What if I knew I could trust that my back is watched by God and by friends, people who stand with courage for what is right and true, what is it that I or the people with me could fear? Death? 
I got home that night, and wrote my blog post again. This time, I had a new dream inside of me. I love my country more than I can put to proper words, and honestly, I think I already sound like some kid who reads a lot and thinks she can write like the pros. I am just trying to tell a story-- a story of my heart for our Country. We are all created equal. I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. To spread hope, to spread life, to reinstate the beauty of our country. My words are my best shot at an invitation. 
All this to say, I am really in love with my country. I am in love with her people. But again, God, Country and Family. And the order of those last two are debatable. Gotta keep the goals set straight. Hope you all had a good Friday. 

R.A. Verhey

Mark 4: An Idea

Hello, and welcome to Mark Four of the Guts and Glory blog project.

So it is Friday again, and it is brings to a close the last four weeks of build-up. The assignment, as we all know, was to write a persuasive essay on a subject relative to our projects. My plan was, initially, to write a post about current events, but I realized that this blog, my blog, has been less about politics and more about the cry of my heart. To stand, and see those around me stand, to tie in with the one hope we have of seeing America become the land she was meant to be. You see, I love my country as much as almost any man or woman could, I am just too young to be able to show it. Chris Kyle, one of the greatest heroes of my life, put it perfectly when he said, “…God, Country and Family. And the order of the last two are debatable.” When I say that I would die for my country, I mean it. I think it is every ounce of worth it, and the people in it are precious to my heart. Because, essentially, America is the people, the people who hope and dream. Now, all that to say, my blog has been about America’s restoration via the voice of the people. And that is what I want to write about.

Today, we went to Shasta Dam. I am sure all of you have been there, but this was my first time. Now, I am a sucker for mountains. Give me four days of free time, and I will spend three days and twenty-three hours in the mountains, no questions asked. I also have a thing for roads, and have always been mesmerized by the risk of walking down the center of them. *kids, don’t try this at home.* No, but seriously. Today, I walked down the center of a curvy mountain road, my favorite Gurkha Cigar Trading Company backpack snuggly on my shoulders, and my combat boots moving with me as if they were a part of me. (After two years, I guess they kind of are.) During this walk, I was thinking about America, but more of how I see it than how the corporate/political world sees it. It is a wild idea, which is hoisted on the backs of lumbermen who hightailed it to the West with nothing but rifles and bibles, and made a home for themselves, a country. This is the country that has been built off of exploration, adventure, tried and tested faith, and most importantly, love. Love for freedom, a freedom that I and many others find and see in the mountains, and on the curvy mountain roads that speak to me so very much. (I am not actually on roads all that much. Off-trailing for the win.)  The point is… *pauses for emphasis.* The point is, this land is your land. It is my land. It is an invitation to a higher way of life, a life where a man can make his own path in freedom and in justice, with laws made only to uphold what is true and righteous, not to constrict it. America is not a set of laws, it is a set of ideals. It is a pair of boots waiting to be broken in. It is a horn waiting to be blown, waiting to echo with valor in the hills of the faithful unknown. America is the land of the Free. America is the Home of the Brave. That would be you.

Now what am I debating against? Good question. But I want to be careful here. The American people are tired of the negativity. No one watches the news anymore, because all that plays is the song that the end of the world beats to. The world has been ending for ten thousand years, what is the big deal now? (I am not saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago, but I am saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago. But no one argued that but me, so blah.) Thoreau once said, “All good things are wild and free.” That would imply that good things are not constrained by fear and negativity. So what am I arguing for? I am arguing for the freedom of people.  Your freedom. You see, it is the people, not the politicians, that I feel will change this nation. Politicians can only twist their crap as much as the people will believe, and the way I see it, people aren’t going to let their country fall away if they love it. People are sick of being told why they should hate their country. They are sick of being told why they should hate their life or feel guilty about it. So I am arguing that life is meant to be loved, and this country is meant to be lived in. Truly lived in. We are meant to be wild and free, to risk it all for something sweet as the morning sunrise coming still over mountains with a cup of coffee in your hand. And that, is why life is worth loving. And that is why the country is worth loving. Because it is the invitation to sunlit mornings and cool mountain air, with the sense that there is not a thing in your life you regret, because you chased the dreams of your heart till your boots wore thin and you finally came to peace.

I love America. It is my country. It is your country. And many people think of her as politics, or Fox News, the end times and the riots. And though we are facing riots, and we are facing the collapse of our Country, we have a shot, and it is the people. It will take courage. And as long as we are courageous, they will see us as fools. But rather be a fool in the eyes of the people, than a coward who never dared to try. So, will you stand with me? Let us shout a shout of freedom, a shout of valor, a shout of bravery. We read our stories and history books, where men lived in a time of revolution. We love Katniss, and Tris and the Fellowship, because they went out and stood where others sunk away. We love the founders because they fought and died for love of truth. We look at their times, we look at their stories, and think how wonderful, how terrible, it was that they were born in such a time as that. They weren’t. If they hadn’t been there, it wouldn’t have been there. If there hadn’t been whistle blowers, there would have been no heroism, there would have only been knives in the darkness and slit throats in the morning. No, they pulled the times of hardship on themselves, because they knew that they were meant for the greatness of freedom, and the time was meant to be more. I am not saying start a riot, I am not saying we need a war, that is the last thing I am saying. What I am saying is this, we are called to be heroes. We were made for such a time as this. That is why we love Katniss, that is why we adore the rush of the soul when we watch Interstellar or American Sniper. We have in us the same that the founders had, we have the same ability that Martin Luther King Jr. had. It is not the ability we must attain, but the stance we must take. So what must be done? We must inspire people to love, to be free, to love freedom, to love their country. We must hoist the Red White and Blue high above us, crying to a people smothered in guilt and apathy, the truth. And the truth is, this land, America, is not a politician, it is not a social movement, it is not riots or revolutions or fashion fads. America is an opportunity governed by truth, justice and mercy, protected by the blood of our soldiers, guided by the courageous hearts of adventurous people. America is wild and free. America is our Home. So stand, stand and proclaim hope and love to the Nation, that we may save her.

Thanks, and see you all Wednesday. 

Mark 3: Progression

Hello, and welcome to Mark 3 of the Guts and Glory blog project. As you know, my project is, in fact, a blog in itself. So a piece on the progression of my blog- 

As of the last two weeks, I have been in a constant state of awareness of the news, in particular relation to this project. Something that has really stood out to me, and begun to pull on my heart in some major ways, is the fact that so many people are ignorant to what is happening in the world. In my conversations with my dad, we have discussed all the things that society is facing right now, particularly in the pop culture world. We are desperate for truth but without resources. We need substance but only have styrofoam. 

So, what I did, because talking things out makes me feel like I am doing something, aiding in something, or standing for something, is make a podcast. In this podcast I described the relation of ISIS to history, and why ISIS is around. I explained this because it is something few people care or know about-- even more so, ISIS is something so few people care about. It doesn't matter that they are killing, raping, and toturing their way through the Middle East, we will not get off our twitter accounts. We love the Kardashians, and pop music, and anything that takes our minds to somewhere where heartbreak is our biggest issue... Heart numbing is our greatest issue.

There have been men before us who were evil. There are men ahead of us that will be great. However, the question is not whether this justifies our denial. The question is, will you rise up and be the man who is great? Will you stand, and fight, and shout in the darkness even if no one hears, even if you are shouting to shadows? Will you be known in times to come as the man or woman who stood for something, and changed the world?

Our duty is to stand. Our duty is to feel. Our duty is to fight for justice, to never leave a man behind, and always carry the wounded on our shoulders. We must stand, we must be strong, because a time is coming where the future of the world will rely on a miracle. We must pray that we stand with that miracle.

With that said, here is my podcast.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/09/18/the-100-year-old-agreement-you-need-to-know-about-if-you-want-to-understand-whats-driving-the-islamic-state/