Intro to “Common Men, Uncommon Calling-Part 3:Andrew, James” (Luke 6:14b,c)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/19/2026 10:25 PM

My Worship Time Focus: Intro to “Common Men, Uncommon Calling-Part 3:Andrew, James”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference: Luke 6:14b, c

            Message of the verse:  Andrew his brother; and James

            “Chronicles of the past record numerous instances in which a small group of men facing overwhelming odds changed the course of history.  Such events, often memorialized in books and movies, have become the stuff of legends.  One of the earliest took place at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C during the Persian invasion of Greece. A small rearguard led by King Leonidas I of Sparta, consisting of 300 Spartans and several hundred men from other Greek city-states, faced hundreds of thousands of Persians led by Xerxes (the Ahasuerus of the book of Ester).  Despite being hopelessly outnumbered, Leonidas and his men refused to retreat or surrender.  In fact, when a Persian emissary demanded that they lay down their weapons Leonidas replied defiantly, ‘Come and get them.’  Though Leonidas and most of his men died defending the narrow pass, their courageous stand allowed the bulk of the Greek army to secape and survive.

            “In the waning days of World War II, Adolf Hitler launched a last, desperate offensive against the Western Allies.  He hoped to seize the key Belgian port of Antwerp and split the British  and Americal forces.  Hitler believed the Western Allies would then sue for peace, allowing him to concentrate all his forces against the advancing Soviet armies in the east.

            “Squarely in the path of the German offensive through the Ardennes region was the Belgian town of Bastogne. All the major roads in the area converged on Bastogne, making its capture essential to the Germans.  The American 101^st Airborne Division (with a few other smaller units) withstood the onslaught of vastly superior German forces for a week, until relieved by elements of General George Patton’s Third Army.  Despite the odds, they refused to give up.  When the Germans demanded that he surrender his forces, the Americal commander, General Anthony McAuliffe, made a contemptuous, one-word reply that Leonidas would have appreciated:  ‘Nuts!’ The 101^st’s stubborn, courageous defense delayed the German drive, which ultimately failed to reach its objectives.

            “Perhaps the most famous heroic stand in American history was that of the Texans at the Alamo.  Less that  200 men, led by William Travis, James Bowie, and Davy Crockett, held out for nearly two weeks against thousands of Mexican troops under President Antonion Lopez de Santa Anna, who was seeking to crush the Texas Revolution.  That delay allowed the Texans time to declare their independence, form a government, and draft a constitution.  Further, the heroism of the Alamo’s defenders, all of whom perished, and William Travis’s eloquent letter addressed ‘To the People of Texas & All Americans in the world,’ inspired many men to join the Texas army.  That army later routed Santa Anna’s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas’ independence.”

I realize this is a very short SD, but there are reasons for it, and so Lord willing I will finish this section in the morning, Lord willing.

6/19/2026 10:48 PM