During the early 1970s and

beyond, there was a lot of misguided and self-serving leftist media bombarding

the American airwaves. The American people, night after night, were being

sold many false and damaging ideas about Vietnam and how we shouldn't

be involved, etc.

It is very interesting to me

that the media has, to my knowledge, never followed what was happening

to the South Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon.

I was working with Lutheran

Ministries of Georgia after I retired from 30 years in the military. Our

job was to resettle legal refugees from around the world who sought help

from America and whose lives were in grave danger due to political, racial,

religious or ethinc strife.

It was very interesting how

the liberal left and the American media ignored the thousands of executions

and long-term sentences in the "re-education camps" that the

Vietnamese were forced to endure at the hands of the North Vietnamese.

If a man was as much as a vehicle "driver" for the South Vietnamese

government, he or she was given a six-year sentence. If someone were farther

up the food chain, like a corporal (two stripes), he would have a longer

sentence. If someone had the misfortune of being an NCO or an officer

or official, the sentences were up to 15-20 years.

In these re-education camps

(which the media and the Jane Fonda groups will never cover), they were

made to endure very harsh hard labor and undergo the monotonous daily

Communist propaganda. They were made to quote the daily no-where Communist

slogans, which have proven over and over again to be false and have gone

on the ash heap of history.

While we are on the subject,

Jane Fonda, in my opinion, did far more damage to America than John Walker

ever dreamed of doing. She should be sitting in a cell next to him and

brought up on charges for treason and for aiding and abetting the enemy.

I can remember being in seminary

and wearing my ROTC uniform to some of my classes because I was finishing

up my college and going to seminary at the same time.

I can remember students who

had never been anywhere or ever read a history book, and who had been

raised only on TV and CNN, who would hold up the so-called peace sign

as I would walk by. I might add that none of these people would ever think

of serving the cause of freedom or putting their mushy bodies on the line.

They were the "protected" by the military, I might add.

It is in this backdrop that

we read in Matthew 8:5-13 the greatest faith story in the Bible. At least,

this is true "according to Jesus and what He said." It is the

story of Jesus and the centurion.

The Scripture is too long to

quote here, but in a thumbnail look at it, it is the story of a probably

pagan Roman centurion who is asking Jesus to heal his servant. This Roman

centurion had been heavily trained in the chain of command and in the

subject of authority. For a Roman soldier at any level to disobey a command

could mean instant death.

The centurion said to Jesus,

"My servant lies home grievously tormented with palsy." Jesus

immediately said to him, "I will come and heal him."

The centurion said to Jesus,

"Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof but just

speak the word and my servant shall be healed. I am a man under authority,

having soldiers under me. I say to this man go and he goes; and to another

come and he comes; and to my servant, do, and he does it."

Jesus responds with, "I

have not found so great faith in all of Israel." This greatest faith

story came from the lips of a Roman soldier.

This Easter Sunday at our church,

we will have a very authentic re-enactment of this Centurion's faith story.

David Spohn, who teaches a very exciting and unusual Sunday school lesson

often wearing his actor costumes, will be portraying the Roman centurion

in our Easter sermon celebration. David does a lot of historical research

in his characters and we are all blessed every Sunday he does a lesson...and

you thought Sunday school was boring!

This Sunday, March 10, we will

be conducting our annual Seder Supper with Shofar the Scribe attending.

Don't miss this spiritual Passover meal.

God bless you this Easter as

we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth.

The Rev. Dr. Knox Herndon

is pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). The Rev. Greg Mausz is

senior associate pastor. The Rev. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School

superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church is just

below Fayetteville, on Ga. Highway 85, a mile south of Ga. Highway 16,

just below the fire station. Visitors welcome. Church office and prayer

line 770-719-2365; e-mail [email protected] .

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