It seems like every time I turn on the news, there's some new story about a school board making decisions that has parents up in arms. Recently, I saw an article from ABC News about a school board in Arizona that had voted unanimously to stop hiring teachers from a Christian college because those teachers hold Christian beliefs and values.
It feels like the world is cracking up all around us. The values I hold dear, such as respect for others and even the importance of faith in our lives-those values that I put on a uniform and fought for-are all being eroded away by the coarseness of today's culture. But the words of that old hymn of faith keep ringing in my head:
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
Edward Mote, "My Hope is built on Nothing Less"
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
These old hymns, with their wonderful words, offer encouragement to us throughout our lives. They teach us to have faith in a God who will always be with us.
Nothin' no, no, no, nothin'
Mark Hayes, Herb Fromback "No, No, No, Nothin'"
Can separate us from the love of God.
I said nothin', I mean nothin',
Can keep us from the love of God.
Can keep us from the love of God.
Can keep us from the love of God.
Not trouble or hardship, neither famine nor sword,
Not danger of sickness nor slanderous words.
Nothin' no, no, no, nothin'
Can separate us from the love of God.
I said nothin', I mean nothin',
Can keep us from the love of God.
Can keep us from the love of God.
Can keep us from the love of God.
Hymns like this, learned in my youth, have continued to inspire and comfort me throughout my adulthood. They have empowered me to not just have a quiet faith, but to boldly walk the walk of my faith.
I am weak but Thou art strong.
Traditional, "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
Jesus, keep me from all wrong.
I'll be satisfied as long...
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Just a closer walk with Thee.
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea.
As I am daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I pray that the hymns we have sung together and the messages our cadets have heard in chapel services throughout this year, will stay with them as they depart our campus in a few days from now. I pray that they will continue in their own spiritual development, and that the ways of faith and belief we have shared with them this year will give them strength throughout their lives.
Trust and never doubt,
Charles A. Tindall, "Leave It There"
Jesus will surely bring you out
He never failed me yet.
God, please bless our Cadets, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni with a strong, unmovable faith.
In Jesus' name, I pray.
Amen.
In Christ,
Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.)
President
Fork Union Military Academy