True North

We live in a complicated world, a world with so many options and even more ways to reach them. However, in such a world, one can easily lose his or her way. Oh, folks are quick to offer directions. The shelves of local bookstores swell with “self help” books. Countless pundits spout their various opinions from every known media, but even those of us who think they know where they are, and where they are heading, often feel like we’re aiming at moving targets. Let us take a lesson from fundamental navigation. In modern times, we use a compass to find our way upon the sea or in the wilderness. A compass simply works by pointing north, thereby offering us a consistent reference point from which to choose our course. The ancients used the stars, which could be counted upon to occupy certain quadrants of the sky during various times of the night or year. While those heavenly bodies all appear to move across the sky, one star, Polaris, appears to remain stationary. We know it as the North Star, and if we are in the northern hemisphere it will always be found in the same place because it is located over the earth’s axis and, therefore, does not “spin” like the rest of its celestial counterparts. Polaris is a consistent beacon, resolutely anchored, as it were, in the northern sky.

I find my analogy today in the way of faith in Jesus Christ. There are countless “stars” on the horizon of human existence and, for various reasons, folks seem to pick them at random to chase after. Consequently, many people seem to have lost their way in life because they have discovered nothing reliable to steer by. They need a true north. I have found that Jesus, like Polaris, is just such a beacon. With the bible as a chart and Jesus as our true north we can find our way across the tempestuous oceans of life without running aground. When you look into the night time sky you can always find Polaris right up there between the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. All the other constellations are restless wanderers, but the North Star remains true. If you have grown weary of wandering or have otherwise lost your way, search for Jesus in the darkness of your life and He can help to guide you. He is the only true north.

Polaris
All the constellations have
Their seasons and their places
Each dances through the heavens
In the gentle arc it traces
Restless nomads are the stars
Which never tarry long
As they spiral ever onward
Amidst the great celestial throng
They might visit for an evening
Or a month upon their way
Yet, in time, they always move along
Without the will to stay
But there is one which never waivers
One star, never out of place
A faint, but steady beacon
In the vast array of space
I am speaking of Polaris
The star which rules the northern skies
The rest meander on their journey
Yet, Polaris never lies
We know it as the North Star
Sometimes, no other star will do
When we need a light to guide us
Polaris shines forever true
By Frank Carpenter

One Giant Leap

For most Americans of the time, it probably all began in 1957 when the first artificial satellite, Russia’s Sputnik I, soared through the nighttime skies and initiated the “space race” in earnest. It was the technological embodiment of the cold war: who could get to space first and who could go the farthest. Perhaps, for the first time, space caught the imagination of the American public and our dreams turned skywards. In 1962 John Stewart, of the Kingston Trio, penned and sang the following lyrics which were representative of that new American dream:
“Some to the rivers and some to the sea
Some to the soil that our fathers made free
Then on to the stars in the heavens for to see
This is the new frontier, this is the new frontier.”
Then on July 20, 1969, thirty-six years ago this week, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon and uttered those now famous words, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Indeed, it was a giant leap. Several other missions followed and then we simply stopped going to the moon. It was too far, too dangerous, and the technology didn’t yet exist to remain there for extended time periods. We moved into the “shuttle” phase of space history, manning Skylab for a time and now the International Space Station. However, the NASA space shuttle program has suffered two huge setbacks, most recently in the loss the shuttle Columbia. The launch of the new shuttle, Discovery, has been plagued by numerous delays, but hopefully it will finally depart next week on July 26th. We haven’t been to the moon since the 1970’s, nor has there been much talk of visiting Mars anymore. So the “new frontier,” which seemed utterly within our grasp such a short time ago, looks as if it will remain an unexplored frontier, at least from the standpoint of human visitation. For the time being, we simply lack the political will and funding to pursue those dreams of space beyond the orbit of the International Space Station. Yet, I believe our younger generation needs to see men walking on the moon again. That amazing moment in 1969 represents, in my opinion, one of the greatest human achievements. Young people deserve that kind of emotional and technological victory because, three decades later, moon travel just seems like another scene from a movie, and an old movie at that. True, the cold war and space race are over, but I say we must go back … because mankind could use another giant leap just now.

Crossing Over

Why is it that so many people, even professing believers of various faiths, always feel as if they can’t quite make it to the life God desires for them? When Israel was wandering in the wilderness after the exodus God led them to the Jordan River, and there bid them to enter the promised land. What went wrong? After all they had been through, they lacked the faith to take that final step. These were the people who had experienced the miracle of the exodus, crossed the Red Sea, followed a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and eaten manna every day. What more did they need to believe that their God would see them through? After witnessing so much of God’s power and protection they were still unwilling to trust Him. It’s a familiar story because we are much the same as them today. We have not only their example, bolstered by the priceless wisdom of hindsight and historical knowledge, but also the testament of our own life experiences. Yet, we shy away from the final step. Like stubborn mules or frightened children, we remain unwilling to put a single toe into the Jordan Rivers of our own lives. God offers us peace and rest and relationship and protection … and we turn our backs on Him. Over and over, we choose the wilderness instead of the lives we were actually created for. But why? Yes, there’s fear and faithlessness and a host of other issues, but in the end it really only boils down to one thing: pride. We are simply unwilling to relinquish control of our lives to God. Worst of all, by doing so we technically make ourselves out to be God, at least functionally, by choosing our will over His. And let’s face it, we know that life could be way better if we lived it on His plan. A little scary perhaps, but deeper and better. I’m guessing that, just like me, you will reach the edge of the Jordan again sometime today or this week. The water may look too cold or too rough or too deep, or whatever, but we’ve simply got to take a step out into the stream and see what happens. That better life awaits us right there on the farther shore, but we must trust Him enough to cross over. Take a good hard look at life, especially in the eternal perspective, and consider if another forty years in the wilderness is really what you want. Then let’s take the plunge together.

Crossing Over
Over and over, we come to the Jordan
To the brink of comfort and rest
We pause to gaze into the promised land
Then turn back to the wilderness
Unwilling to claim the promise
We thought we were living for
We turn, as to an empty ocean
From the long awaited shore
Why won’t we cross over and go in?
Why won’t we accept the life?
That God intends for us each to live
We turn from His peace to strife
What is it that keeps us from crossing?
At last, to the promised land
To the place we know is better
For which we prayed and planned
One thing bars our way across
Not wood nor steel nor stone
A barrier more impenetrable
Stands between us and God’s throne
Each of us understands the way
To cross to the other side
Yet the monster blocking our path to peace
Is our own unquenchable pride
What is it about the wilderness
That we should turn from the promised land
To this world of pain and worry
And away from God’s outstretched hand
Crossing over to God is but to yield
And place our trust in His worthiness
God waits for us with open arms
But we must accept His rest
By Frank Carpenter ©

An Epilogue

I have not posted an entry these past five days because I have been off on a fishing trip. In my previous offering, just prior to my departure, I wrote of going off to fish with my father’s equipment for the first time since his passing. In addition to the great satisfaction of being immersed in the beauty of creation with several fine friends, I also had that long-anticipated opportunity to simply wander the shores of several trout streams and cast my father’s fly rod. (Yes, I actually caught many fish as well.) By passing the time with his own favorite pastime I discovered some more of him in myself. And what could honor or esteem his memory more than such an activity? It is now late, and my day of travel long, but I offer the following poem as an epilogue to my previous entry. I hope you may find such peace in the quiet waters of your own memory.

Casting for Memories
Standing here, in mid stream
With Dad’s fly rod in my hand
I feel a kinship with him
And I better understand
Why he loved so being out here
Away from all the noise
Just standing in a river
In the mountains with the boys
This takes me back to other rivers
Other days from long gone years
Though I fished with him so rarely
What I’d give to have him here
Yet, all I have is memories
So I must cherish those
As they drift through my mind
Much the way this river flows
So cool and refreshing
While marching ever on
Reminding me that every day
Must be cherished ‘ere it’s gone
For now, there’s ample satisfaction
In this river where I stand
Casting … and reminiscing
With Dad’s old fly rod in my hand
By Frank Carpenter ©

Casting for Memories

I am about to depart upon a fly fishing trip in the mountains. Lacking appropriate fishing gear of my own for such an activity, last week I began sorting through my recently departed father’s equipment in order to come up with what I needed. He loved fly fishing and it has been nostalgic sorting through his rods, reels, flies, line and other such trappings, of which there is a great quantity. When you tinker with the remnants of another man’s passion, it reaches across the years and you sometimes begin to feel as if he’s right there with you. All the more so in the case of my father, who was always eager to share his skill and knowledge in this area. I was generally an eager pupil, but rarely could translate his tutelage into the catching of many fish. The fact is that I really haven’t the temperament or the passion for fishing. Consequently, I tend to cast for a while and then, like Ferdinand the Bull, wander off to the welcoming shade of a nearby tree to write poetry or otherwise daydream. Such activity is extremely satisfying for me, yet of but little use to one who is eager to advance the numbers of his catch or fill the evening’s frying pan. My father and I well understood one another’s priorities and struck upon a mutually agreeable compromise in our fishing ventures. He caught the fish and I told the story. Now, having not fished since his passing, and armed with his old equipment, once again I venture out into the wilderness with the hope of catching a few wild trout … and perhaps more than a few poignant memories as well. An important step in the process of dealing with loss is when move from actively mourning someone to honoring and cherishing their memory. Nothing could honor dad more than my standing in a mountain stream, casting with his rod, and thinking fondly of him. And that I shall.

Today’s poem comes from a trip to the same area in 2001 and is based upon the experience of the Patton brothers, who have fished that same little corner of the Sierras since the days of youth with their own departed father. I offer it in their honor and take the liberty of now claiming a portion of their emotions for myself. If you’ve still got your dad, give him a call today. Better yet, take him fishing.

These Mountains We Shared
When I look back across the years
at the good times that I’ve had
I think the ones I cherish most
were up here, with my dad
Those were the best vacations
we were always eager to go
Camping and fishing and hiking
in the mountains he loved so
And I’m still coming up here
after thirty years and more
Still fishing in the same old creek
still camping like before
Still doing all the things he loved
and taught me to enjoy
In the happy summers of my youth
when I was just a boy
So many things remind me of him
when I’m up here, even now
It’s almost like he’s here with me
at least it feels that way somehow
In the dusty talk along the trail
and the whisper of the breeze
In the laughter at the campfire
and such simple things as these
Sleeping underneath the stars
and camping ‘neath the trees
Remind me of the part of him
that’s such a part of me
It makes me proud to be his son
and sad that he is gone
But in these mountains that we shared
... his memory lives on
By Frank Carpenter ©

Another Attack on Freedom

This very morning, only one day after London was chosen as the site for 2012 Summer Olympics, a terror attack occurred in that fair city. Four explosions went off within an hour, all striking transit targets during their busy morning rush hour. At the present time, at least 50 people are known to be dead and some seven hundred more injured, making this essentially the worst attack on London since WWII. Already a branch of al-Qaida has claimed responsibility, the same branch of the terror network responsible for the bombings in Spain. There are those who would say that the England and the U.S. have brought this problem upon themselves by invading Iraq. However, the attacks on September 11th 2001 were the result of al-Qaida already having declared war on us prior to campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are those who claim that our invasion of Iraq had no link to al-Qaida and was, therefore, unjustified. The very fact that al-Qaida is now active in the violent Iraqi insurgency, while continuing to attack nations like Great Britain in response to their involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, is evidence that we are probably taking the war on terror to exactly the right place. If Iraq has become a haven for terrorists, then I say at least it’s better to fight an “away game” for this particular battle in the war on terror. We clearly are at war, not with a particular nation or religion, but against an ideology of violence and fanaticism worldwide. Great Britain and the United States do more to help people worldwide than anyone else. We provide more aid, we import more goods and we are the first to fight for the rights and freedoms of other nations and people … and yet they hate us. Yes, we are at war and that war has been brought to our own doorsteps, to our very backyards, by these crazy, suicidal fanatics. If that’s what they want, then I say “bring it!” We cannot back down because they are bent upon our destruction, which means we have no choice but to destroy them. There are those in our country who would protest against our military actions abroad. However, I have yet to see any of those people protest against al-Qaida, Hamas or the previous government of Iraq for their reigns of terror in this modern world. To those people, I implore them to take a second look at the forty families who lost their innocent loved ones in London this morning. When a murder occurs, the guilty party is the one who pulls the trigger.

My heart goes out this morning to those whose lives have been lost and torn apart in London and I offer the following poem, which I wrote on the morning of September 11th, while sitting in my office watching reruns of the Twin Towers collapsing. We must stand together against this injustice.

The Heart of Freedom
Beware, you foes of freedom
Who dare to maim and kill
Who, by force, would stand against us
You have galvanized our will
You have struck the heart of freedom
Spilled sacred blood upon our soil
Stung the bastions of democracy
Yet, though we may recoil
Be it known, we shall not falter
In the midst of travesty
A sleeping giant has awakened
Which will rise from the debris
With a resolve and with a fury
Such as you have rarely known
Freedom’s mettle has been tested
And now its true strength shall be shown
By Frank Carpenter ©

Independence Day

Well, here we are at another 4th of July. Mostly we shall celebrate this holiday with fireworks and the consumption of great quantities of hot dogs and potato salad. Indeed, with all of the activity, it would be easy to forget exactly what this day is really about. However, on that fateful day 229 years ago when members of the continental congress signed the original Declaration of Independence something amazing began. Those delegates of the original thirteen colonies who signed that document might well have been signing their own death warrants for treason against the British crown. Fortunately, they were victorious in their war for independence and their little experiment in democracy is still going strong today. Furthermore, it has become the example of freedom worldwide over these past two centuries. So let us not take too lightly the gift of our own freedom or the price that has been paid to purchase it for us. Enjoy your fireworks and family fun, but pause for a moment sometime during the holiday to remind your friends and loved ones why we are celebrating. There are still many regimes, even in this modern world, which deny basic freedoms to their people. We owe ours to a small group of courageous men who dreamed of a better life and began the revolution that won it for us. We should all thank God for their foresight and wisdom, as well as the precious and sacred blood which was spilled to purchase their vision for all us. Along with my own poem on the subject, I have also included below the text of the Declaration of Independence and I encourage you to read it over and share it with others. We need to remember what we have and what they fought so valiantly for. We are the heirs of liberty and we have an obligation to preserve and protect it. Enjoy your 4th of July and may it also be a day of thanksgiving as well. God bless America … and let freedom ever ring in the hearts of men.

Song of Freedom
Still ringing are the battle cries
Of freedom from the past
Sung out by brave young men who spilled
Their blood and breathed their last
Still waving is the flag
They proudly served and held aloft
Yet, we must be ever wary
Lest our resolve grows dim and soft
Our children need to know the legacy
Of freedom which is theirs
As the gauntlet passes on to them
For they are freedom's heirs
Sons and daughters of a liberty
Which was born of trial and strife
Paid for dearly by the countless men
Who gave both limb and life
We must keep the fire burning
May we never let it die
So our children's children's children
Know the sound of freedom's cry
It's not enough to just be born here
We have to guard our liberty
And pass it on so generations
In the future will be free
By Frank Carpenter ©

And here is the text of the Declaration of Independence:

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 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. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. --And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

… and that’s how it all began, 229 years ago. May we ever let freedom ring.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Far too often, I believe that we who consider ourselves members of the silent majority prove it by keeping our opinions to ourselves. It should not be so! Each of us has a voice and an obligation to use it. Do you think no one will listen? Maybe. However, you can be absolutely certain that no one will listen if you fail to speak. I believe it was Wayne Gretsky who one said, “you miss one hundred percent of the shots you never take.” Each of us just needs to discover where our voice can be heard. Sometimes, when I am passionate about a political issue, I’ll write to a senator or a congressman. They might not read individual letters, but they do keep a tally of the issues their constituent’s care about. From time to time I even write to the President. I’m absolutely sure that he won’t read my email, but I also know that they keep track of opinions expressed as well. This morning’s resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor got me thinking about some national issues which are dear to my heart so I sat down and wrote an email to our President with my opinion. I have posted the text of that email below. Whether or not you agree with me, I would be happy to dialog with you … and I’d also encourage you to voice your own opinion to the President, or anyone else in our government. Maybe, just maybe, someone will hear you. At least if you speak out you haven’t abdicated your opinion to the countless other squeaky wheels in the citizenship. If you want to write to the president his email address is president@whitehouse.gov. If you wish to engage me, feel free to use the email link to the right or the comments option at the bottom of this posting. Either way, let your voice be heard.

Dear Mr. President,
Only this morning, Justice O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court. As a conservative, I beg you to choose a moral conservative to replace her. What is more, I also urge you to stand your ground in the confirmation process. Many of the bills and issues that you champion, however valuable they are, will get watered down and compromised in the process of passing through both houses. Yet, a Supreme Court Justice provides the last line of defense in the interpretation of the law and our beloved constitution. A more conservative court creates a political legacy which can span 20-30 years, and far beyond that in terms of setting precedent. So, dear President and Commander in Chief, we dare not shy away from this battle. Let us draw the line and stand our ground on this important issue. Let the democrats rant and rave. Let them filibuster. Let them make their speeches ... but let us win the day on your nomination of a new justice. As a conservative Christian, as a blogger and member of the "new" media, as an American citizen, I place my trust in you. My late father, State Senator Dennis Carpenter and then chairman of the California Republican Central Committee, introduced Vice President Spiro Agnew at the 1970 convention the night he coined the phrase, "The nattering nabobs of negativism." All alliteration aside, we continue to grapple with those same folks, and we must not let them have their way. Carry on, sir, and stay true to your heart.

With the greatest admiration and respect,
Frank H. Carpenter
Republican, California