“Uncle Sam” was a meatpacker from Troy, New York. Sam Wilson often provided beef to the soldiers, stamping the barrels “U.S.” Although Troy soldiers recognized the stamp as beef from Uncle Sam, other soldiers were confused and thought anything from Uncle Sam was from the U.S. Goverment. Not only did the mistaken interpretation stick, but a caricature evolved. In 1961 congress formally recognized “Uncle Sam” Wilson of Troy, New York as the progenitor of America’s National symbol of “Uncle Sam.”


St. Florian was a soldier of Rome in the Third Century in what is now Austria. He is said to have stopped a town from burning by throwing a single bucket of water on the blaze...Thus is his association with fire fighters. He also has a connection with those who protect us from fire as the patron saint of chimney sweeps. When Florian refused to execute a group of Christians, and professed his own faith, he was martyred. He was flayed alive, a stone tied to his neck, and his body dumped into the river.


Hymns
IRS's hymn: “All to Thee”
Tailor’s hymn: “Holy! Holy! Holy!”
Dentist’s hymn: “Crown Him With Many Crowns”


Church Signs
“Don’t give up. Moses was once a basket case!”
“Forbidden fruit creates many jams.”
“God answers knee mail!”


“Baking a Cake”
Our story today is about a young man telling his Grandma how everything is going wrong, his school problems, friend problems, family problems, financial problems, server health problems, etc...

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which of course, he does.

“Here, have some cooking oil.”
“Yuk,” says the young man.
“How about a couple of raw eggs?”
“Gross, Grandma!”
“Would you like some flour? Or maybe baking soda?”
“Grandma, those are all yucky!”

To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are all put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But, God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good. We just have to trust Him, and eventually, they will all make something wonderful!”

God is Crazy About You! He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the world and He chose your heart.

This story is one with a fine meaning. It reminds us of the “Mixing Bowl” called the Volunteer Fire Service. We come from all walks of life, many different backgrounds, races and religions, but when that alarm sounds, We Become One Solid Force Against The Evil Of Fire! We have many fine times as Volunteer Firefighters ~ but the other side of the coin is that we also see many ugly situations which we hate to even talk about. But, if we turn to God ~ He will help us get through those times.



If you have content you would like to include on this site, please use the Contact Us page or the email link. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Kenneth N. Hessel, nysafc@optonline.net.