WEBVTT

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(soft piano music)

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- Hi everyone, this is Chaplain Burson

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and today's though is about
doing the right thing.

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As a kid, one of my favorite folk heroes

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was David or Davy Crockett.

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But in some ways, Davy
Crockett's real life

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was even more amazing
than the many tall tales

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that surround him.

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Before he was famous, Davy Crockett served

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under Andrew Jackson as a scout

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during the Creek-Indian War.

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But Crockett grew to
dislike Jackson's methods

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and a riff began between the two men.

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Years later, that divide grew even greater

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when Crockett's former
commander, Andrew Jackson,

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was the President of the United States

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and Crockett was a congressman

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for the State of Tennessee.

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Jackson proposed the Indian Removal Act

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which would forcible
relocate native Americans

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further west while taking their land.

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Crockett strongly opposed the plan,

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even though his actions alienated himself

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from many of his colleagues.

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And this intensified the feud

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with Andrew Jackson.

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The move turned out to
be political suicide

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as unfortunately the Act passed

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and Crockett lost his bid for reelection.

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This led to a dark time
in our nation's history

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where native American families

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from Wisconsin to Florida were removed

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from their homes on a journey

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where many died.

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Before Crockett left politics for good

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to travel to Texas and eventually fight

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his last battle at the Alamo,

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he was in Washington D.C.

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when immensely ill house painter

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attacked President Andrew
Jackson with two pistols,

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with the intent to kill him.

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Though Jackson likely helped end

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his political career, Davy
Crockett risked his life

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to wrestle the assassin to the ground

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and disarm him, helping
to save Jackson's life.

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For a moment, it may have felt satisfying

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to stand back and let the assassin

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attack Jackson, given their past,

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but when Davy Crockett
chose a higher purpose

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it transcended a moment
and became part of history.

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Davy Crockett's story serves as an example

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of the cost that we sometimes pay

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to do the right thing

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and how difficult it can be

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to set aside our own ambitions

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or even our own feelings about someone

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to do what we know we should do.

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I hope this week that we can remember

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the lesson from Davy Crockett's story.

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That doing the right thing isn't based

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on rewards we might get

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or how deserving that we
thing the other person is.

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It's based on the character
of the person doing it.

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Blessings this week.

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(gentle music)