Memorial Day

In this episode Leon gives a unique Veteran Pastor's perspective on Memorial Day through the lens of the current state of things.

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Hello and welcome to the Unqualified Podcast with Leon Wilson. That's me. Thank you for stopping by. Thank you for uh liking, sharing, subscribing. Thank you for all of the continued support. We certainly do appreciate it. On this Memorial Day, I would like to uh go ahead and take a moment to um fill you in on the fact that there are men and women who have served this country and who have died in service to this country, uh, veterans who have put that that blank check that is signed at the day that we raise our right hand and swear to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic that have cashed in that that fatal check and in support of this country given their lives. Um there I saw the other day 250,000 flags put up in Arlington National Cemetery. And and my goodness, what a huge cost, a toll that we have paid for the freedom in this country. Um this, these United States of America is uh a blessed nation. And uh I know that the what happens in the United States has implications and impacts all around the globe. Um there are countries who model themselves in some way, shape, or form um uh uh to the standards of the United States and this experiment that we are so glad and so happy to live in. Now, some of us, there are those who cannot stand the United States and and they won't leave the United States. They live here, but they won't leave, and and they still cannot stand uh what this country stands for and what this country was founded on. And to those people, I say, uh phooy to you, but also um get your life right because you don't realize how good you have it. Um in other countries, those same people would be tossed from rooftops. And and that has happened. It happens all the time. In so many different countries around the world. You have Christians who are being lined up and slaughtered like cattle, and you have others that um their their homes are being burnt with them in it, and it's a stark contrast to us being able to gather on a street corner and just protest something that we don't agree with. And that's what happens. And in other countries, what what freedoms we take for granted, it's a death sentence to speak against against their countries, against their government, and against others, against religions especially. Um you take some of the uh some of the different uh POWs who uh from different different aspects of of um society and uh who have been just joined in these little free liber liberty um uh like the Peshmerga in in the Middle East and some of these other uh militias that they join and they're freedom fighters and they're just trying to earn freedom and and trying to have some impact and they're squashed. Um and this is what happens. This is the dark side of of all of this. They're squashed because uh some socialist dictator or communist dictator has taken over and does not want to give up any of their power. And we have people who will gather on a street corner, dye their hair different colors so they stand out, uh, gather on the street corner, and in some cases, uh in the nude and protest, you know, the whatever, those same people would be lined up and under arrest, thrown in prison, and that is on the nice side of repercussions. Not to mention, a lot of them would be killed in other countries. I mean, in China, you you speak out against the government, and the the simplest thing is that you get a bad social credit score. On the other side of the spectrum, you might get killed by the government and your and your family is charged for the for the bullet. And that's the truth. That's just what happens. But in these United States of America, we're able to stand on the corner, fuss whatever we want to fuss, holler, whatever, block traffic, and and just get just real stank face mad. And we live in a country where that's okay. You're just exercising your First Amendment right. You're good. Express yourself, homie. And that ain't good enough for them. That ain't good enough. But here we are. Um, I I had served with um men who had given the ultimate sacrifice and uh paid the ultimate price. Um, and and that's um on this day we we remember them. And um in this nation, one thing that I do love about our country is that there are still freedom-loving Americans who raise patriots in their family, and those same patriots uh go and and join um our military and and serve prestigiously and go and do things. And in some cases, um it's the people that you don't even expect that step up and and push forward, and and our American history is littered with incredible patriots who have done that. Uh one Desmond Doss comes to mind who uh was a conscientious subjector and ended up become going into the medical corps, and they made a movie about him, uh Hacksaw Ridge, and he was able to save all these lives and things and gives all the glory to God. A little bitty guy did all that. Auddy Murphy, also a conscientious objector, who joined the Army or was conscripted into the Army and ended up going into World War II and uh ended up becoming one of the most deadly infantrymen this side of history and saved his platoon several times, got field grade promoted, and ended up uh having there was nobody tough enough to play him in his movies, so he had to play himself in his movies. Look him up, Audi Murphy, incredible man, became a Hollywood actor. It's amazing. Only in America. What did old uh that dude that um he he um represented Mike Tyson? Only in America, that guy. But anyways, uh you got others. I met this guy, Sammy Davis is his name, not Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy Davis. Um he is his middle of honor uh story is is where they got the idea for Forrest Gump. And anyways, I met him, great guy, met him a few times actually, and uh did his personal security overseas um when I was in the army and uh great guy, very humble, and uh drank Red Bulls, loved Red Bulls. I don't even know if he's still alive, but he um when I met him when I knew him, he was he would be drinking Red Bulls and um going around talking to soldiers and and all that, and me and my old battle buddy got to spend uh uh a great amount of time with him and and got several photos um with him and everything, and just a just a humble guy, but a hero nonetheless. He he was one of those guys that just would um just light up the room and and everything else, and it didn't realize how big of a how big of an impact it had just him being around, but he was just always willing to come and see and spend time with the troops and everything. And uh, you know, Medal of Honor, just just an amazing guy, um, really great guy. Uh Benavidez, uh the guy who wouldn't die, a soldier who wouldn't die. Um World War II, uh several turns on a uh uh, you know, to get guys to the medical bird to get them Medevact out and everything and and put himself on in harm's way. You know, that this those guys like that are guys that have paved the way for the freedom that we enjoy every single day. And um it incr it is incredibly inspired to know inspiring to know that we s that we have served in the same nation, served the same country, live in the same country with people who are warriors just like that. Now those guys made it home. What about the ones who have not? What about the Sergeant King and Sergeant Israel and and many others who have paid the ultimate price? Those who came home but the war didn't leave them. They left the war, but the war didn't leave them. And and the twenty-two veterans a day who on average end their own lives because the war hasn't left them. All those who died on the beaches in Normandy and Omaha and those who died in uh the different islands in in World War II, those who who died in Iraq and Afghanistan and and many other countries Korea, Vietnam and different other campaigns at Pearl Harbor. Today I spoke at the Palmetto Patriots home in uh Gaffney, South Carolina, and a huge event, and I was the keynote speaker, and I I'm incredibly honored to be able to say that. And I I honestly I didn't write out some kind of fancy speech that I would say and or anything like that, and and I had prayed about it, and I'd ask God, Lord, what do you want me to say? And would you just use me and all that, inspire me with whatever you want me to say? And I prayed, you know, uh several occasions, and I get there today, it was incredibly awe-inspiring, just great people. And um, the staff there were super inviting and and very kind, uh, very courteous, um, very facilitating, hospitable, um, wanted to feed you and give you some water or juice, whatever you wanted, and and the the residents there just super kind. There was one, um, Mr. George, who we went into his room after um he had he was on the front row when I was speaking, and he he got a joke that I said a little bit later and started laughing. And it was, you know, some folks were like, you know, he's just showing out or something like that. I don't know. It didn't offend me one bit. And he said, I'm sorry for laughing out of turn. And I said, You didn't bother me one bit, brother. You didn't bother me one bit. And uh, you know, the just precious men and women that are there. They had a group that sang of the veterans comprised of the veterans, and they sang, and and man, it just it blessed my heart. The whole event blessed my heart. And um, and and it was just uh just a stout, stark reminder that the war is not over for a veteran. Um and these these men and women, when they get home, um, just like in my speech today, I I talked about how the rotation back to society wasn't so easy. And um, even to this day, there are qualities and and print and principles that a veteran has instilled in us that um don't translate very well to civilian life. And it's it there's there's very little compromise that we can make because it's instilled in us as principle, which means we stake our our life on this, and this is how we structure our life. And I I got to talk about that. I got to talk about how um the structure and the and the and the the planning in my life and and the the what I have to live for all changed in the fall of 2016 when I gave my life to Christ and sold out, just straight up sold out to him. And here we are 10 years later, and the Lord is just 100% turned my life around. And it's it's way more than a 180 because it it is in a direction I never thought possible. It's not like I turned my life around and went the right way, it's like I turned and then moved, flipped around and did something else. You put your left foot in, you take your left foot, all of this, and then next thing you know, I'm in a whole new area, and there is so much structure because God is at the forefront of my life. And I said all that to say this if you are a veteran, or you know a veteran, and it seems like they just can't get their feet under them, they're constantly starting over and constantly fighting this battle, and constantly um it seemed like they're they're on the verge of losing it. My question is, where's Jesus in all this? Because if he's not in the the veteran's life, if he's not in your life, if he's not in the veteran's life, though, then he needs to be. Because my life had zero direction without Christ. But with Christ, I have utter direction. And I don't I know I I know how I did it without him. He had his hand on me. I know that's the only answer, that's the only way. Because without him having his hand on my life, I'd be dead. I'd be gone. I also knew that there were candidates there running for office. And um I challenged them too. Just because you're in the running for a some type of seat doesn't mean you're off the hook and and whatever. You know, the best you you see them in their best light when it's in an election cycle. You don't see a politician, and and I throw at all levels of politics into the same bucket because it's all the same bucket, it really is. Even sheriff and and all that, it's all the same bucket. They can act like it's not, but it is. But you see them at their best during the election cycle, but you also see them at their worst. Because how a person acts under pressure tells you all you need to know about their character. And character is something that wait and sit and hide and watch, and you will see what it looks like. It will reveal itself. Character always reveals itself sooner or later. Now, don't get me wrong, there are times when you act out of character. And acting out of character is not your character. It's there's a, you know, it's kind of like a trend. You see a trend, the highs and the lows and all this other in this trend. And let's say there's this line that's called the mean line, the medial line, and that medial line is right smack dab in the middle. And then you oscillate along and against that medial line. This I hope this makes sense for somebody. But as you oscillate your highs and your lows, and I'm talking your mental highs, physical highs, spiritual highs, financial highs, all those kinds of things, your your mentality, it all oscillates on this up against this median line. And so this median line is you know, is the that's where you meet at. Now, acting out of character, whether it's high or low, uh, one or the other, doesn't that's a spike in any direction. That is not a trend. Okay. And the reason I'm saying all this is this. You notice that during an election cycle, let's just say it's this is our plane of existence here, and you see the person is oscillating. During an election cycle, oh, they're up here. They're way ahead of the trend, they're kissing babies, they're shaking hands, they're hugging necks, and all this other. They're, you know, they're doing the best they possibly can. And then the attacks start. And then once the attacks start, then you start seeing them, you know, and it's they're they're maybe just below center, just under that median line, and and they're acting, you know, but then you start seeing them act out of character. And, you know, they're just trying to upset the herd and and and try to um offset what the uh we'll call it the political enemy is doing, their opposition is doing, and all that. And uh, and I challenge them today with remember why you are here, because you swore and you swear to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign to domestic, and to, you know, to execute the office to the best of your ability. And if you're gonna do that, then do that. But if you're gonna act out and you're gonna let a dollar, you're gonna chase a dollar, you're gonna chase influence, you're gonna chase all this other stuff, you might as well just hang your hat up. And I mean that. Because politics in and of itself is a pure thing. I mean, what could be wrong with people talking some issues out? There's nothing wrong about that. It's the perversion of those politics that cause all the other issues. Once we start perverting the politics to meet our own personal goals or whatever those are, whatever the things are, then you we start going down the wrong direction. And, you know, I'd I I'm not saying anybody is above the law or anybody's below the law or whatever, but you know, especially when you've got other people's lives hanging in the balance of your decisions and and what you are influencing, you best be doing the right thing. And so I challenge them today, and I I hope they listened, and I hope they got what I was trying to say. Um, hopefully I didn't muddy the water too much. But you I think if you get an opportunity for a platform and you you have people in the room that needs something that needs, you know, needs to they need to hear something, and maybe there ain't nobody else brave enough to say it. Um I'll say it because it needs to be said. Because I'm a constituent too, one way or the other. I I'm a I'm a local resident, and my voice deserves to be heard just as much as anybody else's. And so, anyways, um I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to go and maybe inspire somebody to look to Jesus and see what Jesus can do for them. Um, and I know that right now there's there's a lot going on in the country. You got chemical spills going on of and you've got um terrorist attacks, you got people unhinged, and uh the left are st are still trying to assassinate people, and um, you got uh Iran trying to assassinate Ivanka Trump, and you got all this other stuff going on. And you know, it ain't been that long since that psycho um shot uh Charlie Kirk and and all this other. There's just a whole lot going on. And let me tell you, none of this took God by surprise. Not one thing. All of this is way within the realm of his uh influence, and and there's nothing that is going to make God not love you. So wherever you're at and whatever you're doing, if you made it this far back back into the pro the broadcast, I I ask that you just talk to Jesus. Pray that much the more. Even even nowadays, we need to pray even more. Pray for Mercy Church. Um, our church is growing and we're looking at this land we're going today to go pray over this land, and I'm excited about that. That's one New chapter. Um, there's a lot of stuff going on in my life and and professionally and and especially spiritually. And um, and I would love your prayers too, and pray for my wife because she's navigating this with me. Today, I said, Thanks for going to this um to this veterans home with me, this event with me. And she said, We teammates, baby. We teammates. And uh I I can't thank God enough for her. But anyways, I love you. God loves you. This has been the Unqualified Podcast with Leon Wilson.