Just five more minutes, all I ask is five more minutes of a life that is forever lost

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

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Life and how we respond to it is part of God's unique plan for our lives

An  FB friend, Gail Hansmeyer, shared the following, poignant ideas:

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"I was driving to an important appointment, but had a physio appointment that went on till after 08h00. Knowing it would take two hours to get to my next appointment at 10h00, I prayed that God would open the road ahead and give me favour to get there on time. The road I had to use had one lane in each direction, which opened up to two lanes at times. Heavy vehicles reduced traffic to a crawl, but every time I came up behind a truck the road split into two. I did not even have to slow down, and I arrived at my destination on time. It was just like the Red Sea crossing miracle!"

"My colleague had to do the same trip on the same road a few days later. She prayed the same prayer I had prayed, sayng, "Lord you did for Gail; please do so for me too. Unfortunately, her experience was quite different. Every time she got behind a truck, the road was in the single-lane phase, offering no double-lane relief. Needless to say she was upset - it seemed so unfair!"

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Win the battle in the air and you will experience victory on the ground

The battlefields of the heart and mind need a strategic perspective just as human battlefields do.

US military doctrine largely hinges on airpower. Ground wars are dangerous and technology can be countered by sheer numbers, as Napoleon and Hitler learnt in their wars against Russia. Technology can also breed over-dependence on a vulnerable resource.

So, as happened in most post World War II US theatres of war, airpower has become the key to tilting the balance in favor of US ground forces. The plan has been well honed. During Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf used air-cover in the first waves, to neutralize missiles and other fixed artillery points.

Most military forces have focused on building significant strike capabilities using manned and, more recently, unmanned aircraft. Stealth bombers like the B2 have enabled previously dangerous aerial targets to be engaged with relative impunity, whilst longer-range standoff weapons have enabled remote engagement from ships or aircraft operating outside the radius of fire.

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