Like the archangels ...

I am your father, and like the archangels in heaven -- with Raphael, Michael, Gabriel and the others -- I have prayed in your name.

Tithing

In simple terms, tithing means giving one tenth of your income.  Typically, we think if tithing in terms of giving to the church.  I made a commitment to God that I would tithe on every cent I make on my books, and in tithing, I will give my tenth to a charitable cause.  It could be the church, it could be something else.  Last month, your Mom and I donated to the Gospel Rescue Mission here in Tucson.  We received a letter of thanks this afternoon that contained these words:

"I spent time at the Tucson shelter in July 2010.  I had become homeless and was waiting on a bus ticket from my sister.  I want to thank you and the staff there for offering me food and shelter.  I would have been on the streets if it were not for you.  You shared with me the love of Christ.  Maybe, God willing, I will be able to return your kindness some day.  Thanks to you and all the staff there.  May God continue to bless the outreach of His love."

I share this with you only so that you will be conscious of those less fortunate than you.  If you have the means to help, do.

Patience

The Molon Labe Moment

I've been sitting on this essay for months.  Why I chose to post it on Thanksgiving Day 2010, I have no explanation.  Regardless, it is time.  Several years ago, I wrote this sequence in my first historical novel, The Olympian: A Tale of Ancient Hellas:

“With only the sound of his snorting steeds and the heavy breaths of the Hellenes on the wind, Xerxes commanded in a stern but respectful voice, ‘Brave Spartans, your valor in the face of certain death is unmatched by any men.  There is no shame in what you have done here.  Receive Xerxes’ mercy and return to your wives and children.  Throw down your weapons and be spared by the Great King.’

“…  At that moment, the lives of the surviving warriors were in the hands of Leonidas, not Xerxes.  Hellene defeat was imminent, but I knew it was not the Spartan way to surrender.  ‘With it or on it,’ the Spartan women would tell their men as they marched to war: return home carrying your shield or being carried dead upon it.  I feared that neither these shields nor the men who clutched them would ever return to Sparta.  Leonidas gazed from left to right, at the giant army before him, and at the valiant men around him.  He took his time to answer and as he inspected his remaining troops, I’m sure his eyes locked with each and every one of his soldiers who had stood beside him through this bloodbath.  His men knew what their king’s answer would be, but Xerxes waited while his horses pawed the bloody ground … Finally, Leonidas removed his helmet and his long locks, soaked with sweat, cascaded beyond his shoulders.

“The Spartan king raised his helmet to the sky and in a loud and clear voice yelled back to the King of Persia, ‘Molòn lábe’ - ‘Come and take them.’  The Spartan king rushed forward brandishing a bent sword and his men followed….  They awaited the final Persian onslaught yelling all the while, “Come and take them, come and take them …” as each pounded whatever weapon he still held on his shield, helmet or cuirass to make an intimidating racket that I hoped might cause the earth to split and swallow the invaders.  Men with no chance of escape, refusing to surrender, stood proudly and arrogantly in the face of their last moments on earth.  Not a man turned aside.

“… my gut tightened as 20 ranks of 100 archers moved forward from the sea of men who stood silently behind the Persian king.  They encircled the hill upon which Leonidas and his men waited.  The Lakedaimonians showed no panic or fear.  Those who could stand did so; those too maimed to rise to their feet sat or lay on the ground with whatever weapon they had lifted defiantly in the air.  Xerxes raised his right arm, and as he did, more than 2,000 archers pointed their bows toward the sky in the direction of the hill and drew back their arrows.

“As the Persian bows flexed, the Spartans raised what shields they had and locked them together as best they could.  This, their only source of defense, had been greatly depleted.  No shield remained whole and without damage and what bronze facing would have shone brilliantly in full sun was now dull and tarnished with the dried blood of thousands of men who had been crushed before them.  Heavy, wooden bases were no longer intact, and some men raised large pieces of naked oak, the bronze covering having been knocked clean off in previous confrontation.  No Spartan screamed or cried with fear and all waited boldly now in silence for the first wave of arrows.

“Xerxes lowered his arm and another trumpet blast signaled the archers to loose their shafts of death.  The sound of thousands of arrows was terrifying as the feathered bolts cut through the still air with the deadly hiss of a striking snake.  They arced through the sky and some even reached a height equal to where Theo and I watched.  The shadow of these bolts moved across the ground like a creeping predator and converged on the hillock.  I prayed that Zeus would stop time and freeze the arrows in flight, but I knew it would not happen.  They came from all directions, and so many were there that when they turned back toward the earth to fall upon the hill, they momentarily hid the scene before us.  Theo rolled to his back and stared at the charcoal sky.  He grabbed my shoulder and I could feel the strength of his grip.

“I could not turn my eyes from the sight and watched as 2,000 arrows fell upon a hundred men.  The sound was deafening and it sickened me.  Many struck the oak shields with the quick, short ‘plunk’ akin to hailstones striking the farmer’s cart in a powerful summer storm.  Too many more found flesh and blood.  The wooden wall of broken shields held above the defenders began to collapse.  The first rush of death lasted only a few racing heartbeats, but when it was over, fewer hearts on that hill continued to beat.

“…. After the first wave of arrows, the Spartans lowered their shields to dislodge the shafts and relieve their burden of additional weight.  At first, I could not see Leonidas, but then, midway through the ranks, I saw his body rise in the hands of a giant of a man.  The king’s head lay back and his helmet fell to the ground; both arms hung limply.  There was no mistaking his fate.  I remembered the words the Pythia had spoken to the ephor Leon, “Your king or your city….” 

“Amid the fallen bodies that surrounded him, the giant maintained his balance and struggled to the crest of the hill where he gently placed the fallen king on the ground.  He and his comrades surrounded the lion’s son….   He stood on the top of that hill, undefended, above the body of Leonidas, and raised his broken sword to the heavens.  He repeated the words of Leonidas, and his voice ripped through the stillness that had fallen upon the masses, “Molòn lábe!”  Those were the only words I ever heard the man speak.”

That, my friends is the defining ‘Molon Labe Moment’ (MLM) as I’ve come to call it.  When I originally sketched The Olympian: A Tale of Ancient Hellas, my original intention was to bring my protagonist and his friend [Theagenes and Simonides] to Platea where the combined Greek forces destroy the remnants of Xerxes’ army subsequent to the Greek naval victory at Salamis.  When I wrote my ‘Molon Labe Moment,’ I was physically and emotionally exhausted and I knew without question that I was ready to bring the story to its end.

Two years later, as I complete my second novel, The Hamsa, I recognize that I have created another ‘Molon Labe Moment;’ it just naturally occurred.  When I wrote the MLM sequence, I concluded that many, if not all of us face a ‘Molon Labe Moment’ in our lives.  What is the Molon Labe Moment?

At that moment in time 2500 years ago, Leonidas has reached a crossroad, a defining moment in his life and is faced with a decision:

·         He can accept the king’s clemency, save his life and the lives of his remaining soldiers and return to his home and family or

·         He can do what he believes is the right thing to do for the greater good of his country.

Leonidas chooses the latter.  In The Hamsa, my second historical novel, the protagonist is given a similar choice with the same results: clemency or death.  He can take clemency and escape death and the miserable conditions with which he is faced, or he can do what he believes is the right thing to do, which ultimately lead to his death.  His conscience leads him to the right thing.  In 1972, I read The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis.  I always refer to that as the most faith-affirming book I’ve ever read. As I think back to it, Mr. Kazantzakis created the ultimate Molon Labe Moment with Christ – or more appropriately, Christ created the ultimate MLM using Kazantzakis as his mouthpiece.  Given the choice of death by crucifixion or life with a beautiful woman and the promise of a family and old age, Christ the human is tempted mightily, but Christ the God chooses his gruesome death and makes the ultimate sacrifice to benefit of all mankind.

The Molon Labe Moment is that moment in time when we can make the simple choice and take the easy road, or we can make the more difficult choice that very well will lead to hardship, difficulty and possibly even death.

We may never be able to anticipate when that moment will come.  A lesser man may be fortunate and never face his moment, but I believe it is a life-defining moment that all of us have the potential to face.  Will we have the courage to do the right thing?

Where am I going ?

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am  actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

Stand By Me

No more needs to be said.  Enjoy.

Stef Golan: Patriot League Coach of the Year

Stef was named Patriot League Coach of the Year this week as she and her West Point ladies head into the Patriot League Tournament on Friday with an NCAA bid on the line.  Soccer has always been a major part of the Gene Kraay family, and Stef's accolade will now top the list.  Here are some other notes about Stef's Black Knights that may interest you.

*Army scored 22 goals in the regular season and allowed just five ... the record for fewest goals against Army is nine set in 2002 when the Black Knights were touched for seven during the regular season and two in the tournament ... Brown is the only team to score more than a goal against Army this season.


*In seven league games, Army has scored five goals by five different players along with a stingy 0.13 GAA, while posting six shutouts (three scoreless overtime draws).

*Army is 7-1-1 at home and unbeaten in its last four matches.

*Freshman Kim An leads the league in goals (nine) and points (20), and is tied for first in game winners (four).

*Senior goalkeeper Alex Lostetter is first in the league in shutouts (10), GAA (0.22) and wins (eight) ... she is ranked No. 2 by the NCAA in GAA and save percentage (.930).

*Army has allowed just two goals in the first half this season in a loss to Fordham and win over Bucknell.

*Army has outscored its opponents 7-2 in the first half, 13-2 in the second, and 2-1 in the first overtime and 0-0 in the second.

*Army has had six games go into overtime to show a 2-1-3 mark.

*Army's 15 shutouts shattered the school mark of 13 set in 1993.

*Army put together a six-game shutout win streak early in the season, three off the mark set at the start of 1993.

*Army tied the school shutout mark in conference play at six, first set in 2008.

*Coach Stefanie Golan is the second Army coach tabbed for Patriot League Coach of the Year honors ... second time for the Black Knights in three years ... Army's first coach, Gene Ventriglia, was a six-time selection.

*Four freshmen have been regulars in Army's starting lineup, with three (Molly McGuigan, Katie Wacker, Melissa McLaws) in the back and the other (Kim An) at midfield ... three others have drawn duty in a majority of the games.

*The freshman class has scored 13 of Army's 22 goals with the senior class registering three goals, five tallied by the junior class and a goal from the sophomore class.

*Army is ranked No. 5 in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the second consecutive week ... its highest ranking was third on 10/21

*Army has ranked No. 1 in GAA in the last four NCAA statistical releases and has been No. 1 in shutout percentage in the last five releases.

*STATISTICALLY

Kim An is the leading scorer in the league with nine goals and 20 points and tied for the most game-winning goals (four).

Alex Lostetter is the top goalkeeper in GAA both league (0.13) and overall (0.22) along with 10 shutouts (six in league play)

Army has allowed just one goal in league matches (0.13 GAA) , that to Bucknell, and five overall for a 0.25 GAA that ranks first nationally

Army has scored 22 goals this season with five in league play