The story is

told by Mark in his Gospel (the third book of the New Testament) of a

father who sought help for his son. The boy apparently was prone to seizures.

The father had asked the followers of Jesus, specifically the disciples,

to heal his son, to no avail. So the father went to Jesus with his story.

The way Mark

quotes Jesus is very interesting: "You unbelieving generation, how

long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you. Bring him

to me."

The father

brought the boy to Jesus with a description of his son's problem and closed

with these words, according to Mark: "... but if you can do anything,

take pity on us and help us!"

Now get this:

Jesus said, "'If You can!' All things are possible to him who believes."

Then the father

cried out, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

Now, folks,

that's me. All my life. I believe (to an extent) and I need ongoing help

with my unbelief. It's a fact.

And, if the

truth be told, it could be that I'll be right there in the corner of Heaven

one day trying to get a peek of those nail-scarred hands and wanting to

hear the story firsthand. If my mom and dad had known me better at birth,

I'm sure they would have considered naming me Thomasina.

All this brings

me to a request I have of you. I need you to help my unbelief.

I need assistance finding information about the 91st Infantry Brigade

of the U.S Expeditionary Army and WWI. The story is told of how this 91st

Infantry Brigade (not to be confused with England's 91st Brigade) was

preparing to enter combat in Europe.

It is said

that most of the men were "green soldiers" who had never seen

combat. Its commander, reported to be a devout Christian, called an assembly

of his men where he gave each a little card on which was printed the 91st

Psalm. They agreed to recite the Soldiers' Psalm daily.

Supposedly,

the 91st Brigade was engaged in three of the bloodiest battles of World

War I: Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, and the Argonne. While other American

units similarly engaged had up to 90 percent casualties, it is said that

the 91st Brigade did not suffer a single casualty!

I understand

this story is printed on the back cover of some printings of the little

book "The Ultimate Guide - Psalm 91" by Brenda and Michael Pink.

This is where

you come in. Are there any WWI historians out there who can help me verify

this story? Respond to me at [email protected].

AND NOW, why

does all this interest me? Since the 1980s, Psalm 91 has been "my"

Psalm, with parts of it being perceived by me back then as a personal

promise from God. I just heard last week, for the first time, that it

has been considered the "Soldier's Psalm" for many, many long

years. Read it and you will see why. For sure, that one is a no-brainer.

Then consider

if perhaps you might want to copy it onto a card, or small piece of paper,

and keep it on your person in the coming months. You may want to claim

its promises for you and yours, as well as for our leaders and soldiers.

At the same

time, however, I would caution you not to sit idle and rely only on God

and faith for successful daily living. Have an active faith, and do go

online and check out our government's advice at www.fema.gov/areyouready/

regarding national security emergencies.

Duct tape may

not be the answer for your safety and preservation in times of terrorist

activity or war, then again, it just might be. You'd be surprised at all

the uses there are for duct tape. Right now, it's holding my car window

because the window-rolling-up-and-down-motor is broke and I have not had

the inclination to give up my mode of transportation for a day or two

in order to have it replaced.

Truly from

my heart, I ask you to seriously consider the safety and preservation

of your family in the trying times that may lie ahead of us. Make preparations

now so your basic needs can be met later, in a potential time of crisis

any crisis, not just war.

Thankfully,

all this recent talk of war has not changed my lifelong motto which I

share with you once again. I simply "plan to live like I'm going

to live forever, but I actively live like today is all I've got."

Back

to News Home Page |