The Father of our nation, a man of humility, integrity, and deep faith. Indeed, he was a blessing to our fledgling country, and set a high standard for all who followed him.
First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere— uniform, dignified and commanding—his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting. . . . Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. . . . Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.
How far have we fallen from the foundations our godly forebears gave to us! I pray that God will somehow have mercy on America and raise up sound leaders who will help us return to the principles which birthed this land.
Happy birthday, President Washington!
I'm on board!
Our brave and wonderful troops deserve every bit of thanks we can give them. So don't hesitate - just say "Thanks."
No politics, no sermonizing, no debating.
Just a simple
"THANK YOU!"
(Purrs to the always awesome Blackfive)
Ah, well, nevertheless, I did do some catching up yesterday, and realized that the MacArthur Daily Bible started selections from Ephesians on Sunday. We'll have one more day - tomorrow - reading Ephesians, and then go on to start Philippians on Saturday.
But reading Ephesians 1 and 2 yesterday was just so uplifting to me that I thought I'd share some thoughts with you about the wonderful, incredible grace of God and His infinite and perfect love for His children... (and as I'm writing down there below the fold, I realize that the first three paragraphs of Ephesians are so awesome, that I probably won't go past them today!)
For those who care, today's selected readings are Isaiah 59 and 60, Psalm 115:1-8, Proverbs 26:23, and Ephesians 5:17-33. Actually, Isaiah has had a LOT of great things the past several chapters, so I might also post about some excerpts from this great prophet of God's Word...
Continue reading "What is it with me and the "catching up on my Bible reading again"?!" »
I cannot believe the absolutely incredible, fantastic, wonderful and cheerful customer service I just got! Pottery Barn's associates have just set the standard for how customer service ought to be done.
Last year in April, I ordered three sets of scrolled curtain rods for the windows in my dining room and living room. The Beloved Husband just finished installing the set in the living room, and we opened the box for the two sets that were going to frame the dining room windows... *GASP!* There was only one set in the box! What were we going to do?!
The Beloved Husband, wise man that he is, urged me to call Pottery Barn - after all, if we didn't ask, then the answer would definitely be "no," right? And so, with great trepidation and more than a little pessimism, I called.
Oh. My. GOSH!
I introduced myself as their "idiot customer for the day," and the associate laughed and asked if I had my order number handy. I did (yay, packing slips!), and she pulled my record up right away.
Oh, dear! Another problem: Pottery Barn no longer stocks these scrolled curtain rods... Hm.
The lady said not to worry, perhaps we could find something similar to use as an alternate, and started searching - and here's what she came up with. They will work beautifully in my dining room! How wonderful: we'll take two sets for the dining room, and return one of the scrolled sets (neither the Beloved Husband nor I were too enthusiastic about taking the living room set down, after all!). The Pottery Barn lady said she'd arrange for UPS to pick up the box on Monday, and that we should get the new rods by next Friday.
Um, but you know, the originals I ordered were $79 per pair, and the new ones are $109 each - how would she like me to handle paying the difference?
"Oh, no - no charge at all! It was our mistake in the first place, so please let us take care of this for you!"
[goggle eyes] [jaw hitting floor] [speechless with awe]
OK, folks, if you don't immediately place Pottery Barn at the front of the list for places to shop household goods, then you are absolutely CRAZY!
God bless Pottery Barn for their superior service, excellent products, and for showing me that there ARE still companies out there who emphasize fantastic customer service!
Two hundred thirty one years ago today, the Continental Congress established our Navy. From two ships intended to act more like customs vessels, to our current size of over 300 ships and almost 400,000 men and women, our Navy has served and defended the United States of America with courage and honor.
Speaking as the wife of a retired Naval Officer, and as the daughter of a World War II Navy veteran, it is the Navy that is my favorite branch of the DoD. The Marines rock, the Army is awesome, the Airforce is stupendous, and the Cost Guard is fantastic (yes, I include the Coasties in our Armed Forces!) - but the US Navy is all these things and more!
Come on, we've got hot ships:
We've got fast planes:
We've got cool missles:
We've got stealthly submarines:
We've got guys that kick ass:
And we've got men and women who go out and do the job, day after day, with honor and bravery:
So, God bless them all, amd may all the citizens of the United States of America give them the honor and respect that these men and women - past and present - have earned. May the Navy always be blessed with the service of men and women of integrity and courage!
Happy Birthday to the United States Navy!
I've just signed up with the 2996 Project to commemorate one of the fallen from September 11th.
On the fifth anniversary of the atrocity committed against America, we will celebrate the lives of those who died on that day. Instead of glorifying the barbaric terrorists who murdered so many, we will remember the lives and the heroism of each person who died.
I have been blessed to remember and honor Timothy A. Roy, a Sergeant with the NYPD.
The Project still need around 500 more bloggers to complete this tribute to each and every person who was killed that terrible day. Please consider going over and signing up. You will need to do some of your own research, but the Project is well organized, and your honoree's information will come up with Google, About, Ask, MSN, etc., links to assist you.
And never, ever forget!
(Crossposted to Kender's Musings)
Technorati Tags: 9/11, September 11, 2996 Project, Timothy A. Roy, victims
Betsy Newmark and the Anchoress pick up this story from the Southern, a newspaper in southern Illinois:
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One of those friendships involved a Kabul rug merchant who pulled Gile aside before he left the country. The merchant told Gile the story of an elderly man, so overwhelmed with gratitude to the United States for its intervention in the conflict that he made a gift for President Bush - a gift that was a year in the making and made, given the conditions of the country, under penalty of death.Gile was astonished when he saw the hand-knotted rug, a portrait of Bush, filled with Christian and Catholic symbolism. Filling the center of the rug is an incredible likeness of Bush, dressed in religious vestments, standing at a podium decorated with the official seal of the country and flanked by two waving American flags.
Directly above Bush is Jesus with a sacred heart and stigmata carefully knotted into the rug's pattern. The rug also shows cherubs and, apparently in an homage to both Bush and a fallen Northern Alliance leader, two lions.
"(Ahmed Shah) Masood was often called 'the Lion of Panjshir.' As one of the country's military leaders, he put some very, very heavy licks to the Soviets and then turned around and delivered the same to the Taliban," Gile said. "He was assassinated two days before 9/11."
One corner of the rug reads, "President George W. Bush," while the opposing corner has the words, "Number one champion."
Gile said he was impressed by the man's efforts.
"For this man to sequester himself away for a year to hand knot this rug speaks highly of his gratitude," he said. "And for an extraordinarily devout Muslim to have taken very strong Christian and Catholic symbology and incorporate them into the rug is amazing. He may come from a different religious culture, but he was respectful enough to do that, and that is very interesting and humbling."
Indeed. This really is the mission of America - to free people who are cruelly oppressed, while ensuring our national security. Yes, our security is the primary goal, but America has always had a big enough heart that it is never our only goal.
I truly hope that Grayson Gile, who recieved the rug and accepted the mission of presenting it to President Bush, is successful in his mission.
And somewhere in Afghanistan, a man who now lives free will have the satisfaction of knowing that the leader of the free world knows that someone is thankful for the strength and determination of the United States of America.
(UPDATED: With some revision about the Articles of Confederation and correction of dates, thanks to BDM, of Fact of the Matter)
Two hundred thirty years ago, a group of men - men of influence, wisdom, and courage - gathered together to sign a Document and birth a Nation:
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of HappinessWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
And so began the war for our Independence, a war where we threw off the stifling apron-strings of our Mother, Britain, and began our journey of discovery. The War was long, and fraught with set-backs, disasters, tremendous hardship, and discouragement. But through it all, one man held true to the ideal and fought with dogged determination to keep his army and his new country from giving in.
General George Washington. He was not necessarily a brilliant man, but he was honorable and resolute. He had been given the duty of defeating the British and winning the War, and he pursued his orders with unflinching persistance.
And in October of 1781, the British General, Cornwallis, surrendered at Yorktown, VA.
The United States of America was free.
But freedom doesn't come easily. The States had adopted the Articles of Confederation in early 1781. The Articles gave the States many sovereign powers, and any changes to the Articles had to be approved by nine of the thirteen States. Federal power was practically non-existent: it couldn't raise taxes, it couldn't regulate trade, it couldn't stop States from printing their own money.
With authority to act scattered throughout the States, and an anemic central government, America threatened to dissolve into a group of bickering little provinces. The States had their own armies, their own international ambassadors, they argued over interstate trade, the justice system left quite a bit to be desired. In other words, it was a bit of a mess!
In 1786, after much unrest and disputes among the States, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton petitioned that the Constitutional Convention convene to write a new Constitution which would strengthen and unify our young Nation. The man the Convention elected to preside over this process was none other than George Washington, the man all Americans look on as our First Father. General Washington was reluctant - he had recently lost his brother, and he preferred to remain at Mount Vernon, managing his lands. Finally, however, he accepted the duty, and made his way to Pennsylvania.
Under his calm influence, eventually each of the States made compromises and came to agreements, negotiated the power of the Federal Government and State Governments, outlined the authorities of the branches of the Federal Government, and placed the ultimate power of Government firmly in the hands of the People. The first draft was accepted in August of 1787 after months of wrangling and debating. Five weeks later, on September 17th, the convention dismissed, and the Constitution went to the States for ratification. It wasn't until July of 1788 that the Convention recieved word that the ninth State, South Carolina had ratified the Constitution.
Finally, enough States had accepted the Constitution to begin to implement its laws. Of course, there was further debate about the Bill of Rights, which were passed by a total of three quarters of the States by late 1791, but now America had her "supreme Law of the Land," which began:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Thus we began to work out this fine balance between the Power and Authority of the People, and that of the Government. Men and women have stepped up to serve our country in war and in peace throughout our 230-year history. Elected officials, military, police, firemen, medical personnel, charity organizations, human rights groups, and so many more have furthered the cause of Freedom and Liberty in our country.
But for me, no group deserves our honor and our respect more than the men and women who serve her in our Armed Forces. Each man and woman who enters the military takes this oath:
...I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...
Our men and women do not swear to a leader. They are not members of a cult of personality. They swear to uphold the Law, and the Supreme Law of the United States of America is the Constitution.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the Fourth of July means to me. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," "We the People," and "I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same."
Happy 230th birthday, America! I love you dearly, and pray that God will continue to bless and guide you. I pray that you will always be that "shining city on the hill," a light and example to the rest of the world of Freedom and Liberty.
Happy birthday!
May this flag of red, white, and blue continue to fly over this great country for many, many years to come. I pray that we, as a nation, remember what the colors in our Seal, and thus, our Flag symbolize:
Our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, celebrates the courage, bravery and determination of our forefathers to remain free and independant. I love learning about that fight at Ft. McHenry and the sheer "we-will-NEVER-give-up" cussedness displayed by those brave men during that fight. Frances Scott Key did a beautiful job writing down these magnificent words (all emphasis is mine):
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And Michael W. Smith has a beautiful song, "There She Stands," which is a beautiful celebration of what our flag has been through, and the hope it has given so many:
When the night / Seems to say
All hope is lost / Gone away
But I know / I'm not alone / By the light
She standsThere she waves / Faithful friend
Shimmering stars / Westward wind
Show the way / Carry me / To the place
She standsJust when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she standsThere she flies / Clear blue sky
Reminds us with red / Of those who died
Washed in white / By the brave / In their strength
She standsWhen evil calls itself a martyr
When all you hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she standsWe've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she standsBy the dawn's / Early light / And through the fight / She stands
There She stands.
Thank You, Father, for this blessed land You have given us. Thank You for men of wisdom and conviction who founded this country on Your Word. Thank You for the men and women who have fought so bravely to keep us free. Thank You for the men and women who are fighting now, serving their country with honor and valor. Thank You, Father, for the leaders You have given us: each and every one is there in their place according to Your will and You plan.
We lift up this Nation, Lord, and ask You to continue to bless us. We ask that You continue to guide us, to protect and nurture us. But most of all, Lord, I pray that You send Your Spirit among us to draw us all to You. I pray that You bring Your revival to this beloved land, so we may again serve you with all our mind, all our heart, all our strength, and all our spirit. Revive us, O Lord, that we may shine forth Your love and Your grace through this weary world. Revive us that we may boast in Your strength and Your wisdom.
Revive us so we may praise Your Name to the very heavens, and proclaim once more: "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the LORD!"
Linked at basil's Blog, Stuck on Stupid and the Cigar Intelligence Agency; and check out Flag Day entries from Third World County, Euphoric Reality, Random Yak and Diane's Stuff.
Also, you really need to go over to Rightwing Nuthouse because Rick Moran has an excellent post about our passion for our Flag, along with some very interesting history.
Today is Flag Day. I think it fitting that we honor not only our flag but also the "free men" who "stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation" around the world, protecting us and reminding us all what the flag truly means - simple, patriotic love for one's home and country.This love, shared by tens of millions of Americans, has lately been belittled, sneered at, even thought of as "evil" in some quarters. The flag itself has taken something of a beating in recent decades, used and abused by both commercial enterprises and thoughtless dissidents who shamelessly appropriate the feelings Americans have for our national emblem to sell everything from soap to cars. Or, in the case of the haters of liberty, to deliberately incite rage by burning it. There are even some who wish to supplant the nobility of what the flag represents by injecting all the sins (both real and imagined) committed by American governments over two hundred years into our national symbol in order to mold it into an emblem of shame.
In this, they and all the haters will fail. As long as there are men willing to pick up the standard when it falls, the flag will continue to represent all of the good and noble things about this country, forcing us to wipe a tear from our eye whenever we see it pass, remembering all that it means to be an American.
Amen, Rick - and thank you very much!
I cannot beleive how many motorcycles there were! Our veterans were certainly honored by the massive participation.
The Korean War Memorial - beautiful and moving.
Thank you to all the Veterans and their families - but, most of all, thank you to the men and women of our Military who have laid down their lives in service to America.
The Tree of Freedom has been liberally watered with the Blood of Patriots: and *I* for one, honor and cherish that, and pledge to raise up my child to venerate the lives given.
May God bless out Military and their families, and may He welcome our honored dead into His Heaven.
God bless our land, and may He draw our hearts to Him again to serve and rejoice in Him!
Yes, today is the Darling Munchkin's tenth birthday - she's hit the double digits!
Eleven or so years ago, the Beloved Husband and I felt it was time to have a child. I, personally, was excited but scared to death: would I be a good Mom? And so, at the proper time, the Lord gave us this child. My pregnancy was easy, and even labor wasn't too bad (the Beloved husband would dispute that, LOL). It took a few weeks to get into a comfortable routine and to figure out this beautiful baby girl, bu we managed.
Now, ten years later, we're more in love with this child than ever. She's bright and cuddly, full of laughter, and interested in everything. She's been blessed with excellent health (I think she's had antibiotics only about five times in her whole life!), and a charming personality. She adores her Daddy - they talk science and mechanics and forts and sports. She loves tickle fights and roughousing and tormenting her favorite guy.
Me - well, she blesses my heart each and every day with her love and affection. We sing together, discuss politics (yes, we do) and theology (absolutely!). We look at this created world and marvel together at the excellence of God's handiwork and imagination. We cuddle and tickle and read and love on each other every day.
The Munchkin has been so wonderful to raise! We are so happy that God has given us this incredible gift of love and snuggles wrapped up in such a charming form.
So, my beloved daughter - Happy Birthday from your weird and wacky Mom. I love you, Munchkin: you're the BEST!
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Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
And my friend, Always On Watch, posts the beautiful and triumphant hymn, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today:"
Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun's eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He's King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
Alleluia, He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed!
Crossposted to the Wideawakes
Technorati Tags: Easter, Resurrection, Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Scripture
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