“I don’t think you’re going to have SWAT teams out there looking for somebody with dark skin, or can’t speak the language.”

That was the comment of a Tennessee lawmaker who plans to fly to Arizona on July 29 to commemorate that state’s immigration enforcement legislation become law.

Her statement was in response to fears that the law would result in racial profiling – targeting people based solely on physical appearance.

Already, one of her state House colleagues has charged that workers at the Nashville Music City Center construction site are illegal immigrants.  How did he know?  He saw them and he could tell by looking at them.

Ten Tennessee lawmakers taking a junket to Arizona plan to craft similar legislation.  “The majority of the Americans have spoken, they support this legislation,” the Tennessee lawmaker said.  Really?  And what plebiscite did she review to come up with that statement.  Perhaps she’s simply reading tealeaves.

Arizona’s law gives uniformed police officers the right to demand identification papers during lawful stops, detentions or arrests.  Arizona residents will have the ability to report folks whom they suspect to be in the country illegally.

If I decide to go to Arizona, or if such legislation is enacted in Tennessee, I have a question no one has ever answered.  If on the remote chance that I might possibly be stopped for speeding, what are these identification papers I will need to prove I am a U.S. citizen?  Will I need to carry my passport around like when I leave the United States?  Is there some other official document I will need?  Or, will the well-discerning police officer have the good sense to see that I am a red-neck (excuse me, red blooded) American and obviously am not an illegal immigrant.  I mean, I’m as Anglo as they come.  How could I possibly be an illegal immigrant?

It is not my intent to keep a tally of soldiers who die in Afghanistan in this deployment.  I’m sadden each time I see the DoD release of another casualty announcement.  Third Battalion, 3BCT lost a soldier last week.  First Battalion, 3BCT, lost two soldiers this week.  Rakkasans are familiar with combat.  They have encountered fatalities before.  Each one is still painful.

I have been given permission to share the text of the email I referenced in my Friday post about the death of a soldier in Afghanistan.  SGM Tim Johnson is the battalion sergeant major (the highest ranking sergeant) for the 3/187 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.  His email reflect his concern for each of his soldiers.    This is his personal report of the story.

My unit lost a Soldier on 1 March 2010 to enemy fire.  His name was Specialist Vincent Owens, he was 22, and married less than 2 months.  I tell you this because I think it’s important that it’s more understood when it comes from someone you know versus reading it in a paper….or seeing a name/face on the news.  He is a wonderful young man who didn’t deserve to leave this earth so quickly.  His unit is going through a range of emotions at this moment and today will be even more difficult as we conduct the memorial ceremony to pay proper respects to this fine young American and what he sacrificed for his Nation.

I was with him when they brought him into the emergency room here on FOB Sharana and i will tell you that the FST (Forward Surgical Team-Army) did all they could to prevent his death….and this goes for the combat medic that was with him when he was first became the casualty.  The medic on the ground was asked to do more than you would ask a 19-yr old to do….and the surgeon commented on what a fine job he did trying to resuscitate him….but even they knew there was no way SPC Owens would’ve survived such a difficult injury.

We conduct a “departure ceremony” (more commonly referred to as a HERO FLIGHT-and rightfully so) immediately following his pronouncement of death.  This consisted of rows of Soldiers lined up at the helicopter landing zone waiting for the ambulance to escort the Soldier with the honor guard in trail and the battalion leadership leading the escort with a tri-folded American Flag to pass along to the medical crew that would then escort the Soldier to Bagram Airfield where he would then be given a ‘ramp ceremony’ where he would be then flown to the U.S.  Our chaplain prayed over him both in the emergency room after he was declared dead and when his body was transferred to the helicopter.

There will be a memorial ceremony (Eagle Remembrance ceremony) back at Ft Campbell in April to pay honor to his ultimate sacrifice.  The division will bring in the wife and family and take care of them during these difficult times.  I would ask that you pray for his wife who is a very young woman from Arkansas and his family who is from Oklahoma.  I can only imagine how they feel and what pain they are enduring.  We here are feeling this loss too as a Soldier who dies in combat is a “brother” to all of us……and I mean literally a brother.

Thank you all for listening to this and know that no matter what the enemy does….he will never defeat or deter us from this mission.

God Bless You All…….Love…..Tim

I don’t know that there is any choice but to persevere.  That was my response as a young brother attempted to affirm me last week.

We had taken the holiday break to check up on each other since he has been away at college and now grad school.  Somewhere, I missed the transition between his middle school years and now when I was constantly pouring into his life to where he is speaking truth into my life.

He has had opportunity to observe me for many years and critically evaluate how I have handled the rough waters of life.  By God’s grace, he saw something positive there.

As unappreciative as my response was, it does ring true.  As I have had time to analyze it more, I come to these classic John Newton lyrics:

“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.  T’was grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

Indeed, those of us following Christ are on a journey.   We have not reached a destination, nor will we until grace leads us home.  Until then, our best option is to persevere.  The journey will take us through many dangers, many detours, many pitfalls, many broken paths, but it is grace that will lead us through.

Arrogance heads us into the rocky shoals where we believe we have what it takes to navigate on our own.

Chris Tomlin dropped the dangers, toils and snares stanza from the John Newton classic in his praise song update.  But, his added lyrics are appropriate:

“My chains or gone, I’ve been set free.  My God, my Savior has ransomed me.  And like a flood, his mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace.

It is when we dive headlong into the river of grace that we have what it takes to persevere.

There is not going to be a shortage of projects of people in need.  That was the conclusion of my blog entry on Monday.  It is indeed a true statement.

Indeed, many churches and other organizations are doing a great deal to help those in need.  I know many guys who take on projects personally – not as part of a ministry, not for recognition, but because they see a need and take care of it.

A friend who is a business development director for Second Harvest Food Bank provided this information in response to my last blog entry:

One in five children and one in eight adults in Tennessee will go to bed hungry tonight.  Every help center, food pantry and food bank is struggling to meet the need.  Families that lost homes during the last year are now living in tents and in campers.  Churches are coming together to do something about it, she pointed out.

In Clarksville and other communities across the state,  Room at the Inn starts this week to help homeless people during colder months.  Churches throughout the community are working to provide aid.

This weekend, some of the leaders and volunteers from the Extreme Makeover project are getting together to help a neighbor of the Scott family.  The cameras are gone but the work continues.  (See www.extremevolunteer.com)

I resist political comment in my entries.  I will say this.  Those who decry big government ignore that the growth of government was rooted in meeting the need of the Depression in the 1930s.  At the risk of distilling a tome of historical dialog to one sentence, I will say that churches in the 30 or 40 years prior to that time had abandoned social ministry for evangelistic ministry without attempting to merge the two.  I am pleased to see so many churches and other organizations picking up their biblical mandate to care for the poor.  The need is great.  But, I am encouraged.