ENCOURAGEMENT 48 december 2024 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition "Location, Location, Location"...that is what Jeff McCullough found on the cold floor of a Baltimore jail office after six months of internment. Originally stopped for a minor traffic offense and mistaken for a killer of the same name, he remained incarcerated despite not being convicted of a crime. All attempts by his attorney Arthur Kirkland to set him free had been unsuccessful mostly as a result of the enmity between the lawyer and the presiding judge. Finally, in desperation, after being sexually and physically assaulted by other inmates, Jeff seized two hostages and barricaded himself. Arthur was called to the scene to have his client surrender. There, the defendant explained that all he wanted was to sit peacefully on the floor for a while in order to avoid being abused. Tragically, the inmate stood up and was immediately killed by a sniper; this became one of the best scenes of the Oscar nominated movie "And Justice for All." In essence, Jeff died trying to retain his territory. "When is too much, too much"...was probably on the mind of Pahom, as he raced to obtain the prize he so ardently desired. A Russian peasant who rented the land to grow crops, he became obsessed with obtaining his own parcel of property when he heard that the Bashkirs, a group of simple-minded folks with available terrain, were in the market to sell. Finally, he reached a peculiar deal with them, whereby for the sum of 1,000 rubles, Pahom would walk around their land beginning at sunrise, mark the distances covered and return to the starting point by sunset. If he returned within the agreed time, all the marked land would be his; however, if he was tardy, he would lose his money and his windfall. At the end of the day, as he was trying to garner the most acreage, Pahom realized that the sun was setting and that the starting point was quite a distance away, so he desperately ran to arrive on schedule. He barely made it...the land was his! Not so fast; exhausted from the long run, he dropped dead. Leo Tolstoy appropriately named this short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need." In essence, Pahom died trying to expand his territory. "Maximize your leverage while controlling the agenda"... applies to both warring and purchasing for enclaves. During the D-Day attack on the Normandy beaches by the Allies on June 6, 1944, 4,000 loyal troops perished. In essence, they died trying to recover territory. Around 1407 B.C., Joshua conquered the Promised Land by defeating 31 kings and having numerous battles and casualties. In essence, they died trying to receive their territory. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 between the U.S. and France increased the size of our country by adding 828,000 square miles for $15 million, or about 4 cents an acre. In essence, we paid to double our territory. We likewise purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million, thereby adding 586,412 miles to our expanse. In essence, we paid to consolidate our territory. In essence, Our Lord is a capitalist. The biblically based ideology of private property ownership stands in contradiction to communism, whose manifesto centers around the abolition of citizens being owners. The history of God's chosen people revolves around the struggle to possess and keep the land specifically provided to them by Jehovah. Scripture teaches us that God is the ultimate owner of the earth and all it contains...but desires individuals to be the stewards of His creation. Psalm 24:1 establishes that the earth is His, while in Genesis 1:26-28 He entrusts us with managerial responsibilities over creation. In the micro sense we are encouraged to possess and properly manage individual property, while in the macro we are responsible for what happens to our nation. Growing in communism, I can appreciate and enthusiastically accept the responsibility God has given me of being a United States citizen. In essence, we must strive to retain, recover, expand, receive and consolidate all that pertains to this wonderful country. I will joyfully surrender my citizenship when Jesus returns and makes me an eternal citizen of the Most Holy Property, the New Jerusalem. Until then, may I humbly serve Him where he has perfectly placed me. This Land Is My Land - Omar Aleman - Aleman and Associates
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