Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening of The Nativity Story. I found this film to be very enjoyable and highly recommend it because it delivers just what it promises. What’s in a name? Since this movie is meant for everyone I began by looking up the word “nativity” in the dictionary to be sure it meant what I thought it did. No surprises: 1. the birth of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated by Christians at Christmas. 2. an artistic representation of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. That about covers it. I like this film because it seems to give an accurate portrayal of the events surrounding the birth of Christ, which is the original Christmas story, in a fairly unbiased way. The basic plot follows the text of the New Testament accurately, while tastefully adding the personal drama and character development which were necessary in order to make the story in to a feature length movie. This is the area where many religious movies fall flat, but in The Nativity Story it works flawlessly. That is because the producers let the main characters remain the simple and humble people that they actually were and refrained from adding social or denominational commentary. The Passion of the Christ, for example, contained a great deal of Catholic imagery which was not in the New Testament text and which I believe detracted from the story for others. You won’t find any of that here. Rather, the addition of the personal drama adds to the story and draws the audience into the emotions which were most likely experienced at the time.
Some evangelicals who are eager for a hard-hitting gospel message will be a little disappointed by The Nativity Story. However, that will be the result of their own expectations rather than the actual movie. This isn’t a movie about a controversial Jesus, his message or his death. It’s a movie about his historical birth and the events surrounding that time, as recorded in the gospels. The story is told from several personal perspectives. The wise men, who actually play too large a role, lay the scientific and prophetic foundation. Herod gives us a glimpse of the Roman occupation and what the threat a new Jewish king and messiah would pose to that empire. Against these two backdrops, along with painstakingly created sets and locations, weaves the personal story of Mary and Joseph, beautifully portrayed by Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac. They are simple and ordinary people drawn by God into the extraordinary miracle of the Hebrew messiah’s long foretold birth. I personally feel that throughout the story their personal interaction with God, one another, and their society stays true to the heart of the gospel text and message, even though many of the details are necessarily fictional.
In the final analysis, I highly recommend The Nativity Story. It retells the true Christmas story in a tasteful and sensitive manner, taking care to deliver the whole message without tainting it with any kind of agenda. This isn’t just a show to see with church groups and Sunday school classes because it’s meant to be enjoyed by everyone. In a world of video and special effects, The Nativity Story offers a valid way to retell this beloved story to our children and truly bring it to life for them. Yet, it also offers the opportunity for all of us adults to fall in love again with the message and the miracle of Christmas. So I encourage you to start the season off right by seeing The Nativity Story. Sharing it together is, perhaps, the best early gift you can give to your friends and loved ones.
“But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11
More info at http://www.thenativitystory.com/ and in the Gospel of Luke, chapters 1-2
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Origins
Well, it’s been a while since I stuck my scientific foot in my religious mouth so today seemed like as good a time as any. Throughout this long holiday weekend I’ve been in Colorado with family and have had the opportunity to observe countless Canadian Geese coming and going as they stopped along their migration route at a local lake. This served as a reminder that the whole concept of long distance migration is just one of the thousands of miracles in nature which I feel science has failed to explain adequately. This brings us to a poem I wrote recently about a subject of personal passion, but first I suppose that full disclosure is in order. OK, I’m one of those narrow-minded religious people who believes that maybe a God created everything. Now, before you change channels on me it must also be noted that those who tend to disagree with me are often even more narrow-minded and less willing to discuss the subject. I challenge you, therefore, to lend me you ear (or eyes) for a few moments of consideration.
Those who cling doggedly to the concept of evolution often seem to be missing the answers to many of its most critical questions. I think we would all agree that the stronger lion or the faster fish has a better chance of survival and is likely to pass on its potentially superior genes to the next generation. Maybe that causes a species to improve and change a bit over time. That’s called microevolution, where existing forms change through time. The problem occurs when a fish becomes a lizard or lizard becomes a bird. There are some huge gaps in the theory for that process, especially when we infer that the fish will eventually become a monkey and then a man. That is called macroevolution, or the changing from one thing to another completely different thing. Worse yet, back the clock up however many billion years you like to believe and we have no explanation of how life began to start with. Here’s how current evolutionary theory works in my over-simplified idiot layman’s terms: First there was nothing. Then it exploded. Then that nothing which had previously exploded sprang to life. Then it eventually became us. Call me crazy, but I think that takes a lot more faith than believing in a God who created things. You judge for yourself.
The fact is that the earth, and the myriad of complicated systems it contains, is too perfect. Furthermore, our own bodies are chockfull of organs, electrical impulses, chemical reactions and interactions, and complimentary and mutually dependent systems to have simply happened by accident, in my humble opinion. My extensive experience with things which have happened by accident leads me to believe we didn’t “just happen.” The human body contains somewhere between three and three hundred trillion cells, all of which seem to know exactly how to form, what to do, and when. Please tell me that’s not a miracle. I’m sorry, but the “how” seems so overwhelming that I must conclude that there might be a “who” involved.
Well, I’ve wandered way beyond the few moments I asked for today so let me leave you with a final thought. Take a look at the facts for yourself and see if they all add up. If you see any possibility of intelligent design or direction, “the Force,” or what some scientists are beginning to concede as “dark energy” then I propose that we need to consider the possibility of a creator. If there really is a creator, or a God, then that changes everything about our existence and even our possible purpose for existence. I’m simply not satisfied with being the most recent monkey design in the evolutionary chain … and I hope you aren’t either. If you have any questions or comments about this subject, feel free to email me at the address on the top of this page. In the mean time, I offer the following satirical poem for your consideration. Feel free to share it with others in order to stimulate additional conversation on this subject. Oh, and enjoy your accidental day at the top of the food chain.
Origins
The finer points of astrophysics can be difficult to understand
First there was nothing, then it exploded, that’s how it all began
Then one rock in particular began to orbit around our sun
Somehow covered itself with water, but the story wasn’t done
For over the course of millions of years, though it’s difficult to believe
Proteins and amino acids combined and simply began to breathe
Then that little glob of life, which had made itself somehow
Found a way, of course, to reproduce … before you know it, holy cow
It grew into bacteria, or some other odd pond scum
Then evolution kicked in, and that speck both deaf and dumb
Grew gills and guts and gonads, a stomach, heart and skin
Eyes and ears, a mouth, a liver, a brain and even fins
It spawned a thousand different species, then ten thousand more
Then grew some legs and lungs and finally crawled up on the shore
It had some kids with snake skin and some more with feathers too
And some cousins on whose heads a bit of hair eventually grew
Of course, the hairy ones were smarter so they made fire and tools
Which they held with opposable thumbs, and used to build new schools
With their lofty knowledge, developed in such institutions
They fired God and then began to worship evolution
So let’s recap the story of our origins and history
First there was nothing, then it exploded, then it began to breathe
Developing complex systems by accident, ignoring laws of entropy
Nothing turned into something and evolved, somehow, into me
And here I am at the top of the food chain, evolution’s lofty pedestal
The pinnacle of natural selection, lacking any purpose or soul
So don’t you tell me about creation, since I’m nobody’s fool
Evolution has to be true … because it’s all they teach in school
By Frank Carpenter ©
Those who cling doggedly to the concept of evolution often seem to be missing the answers to many of its most critical questions. I think we would all agree that the stronger lion or the faster fish has a better chance of survival and is likely to pass on its potentially superior genes to the next generation. Maybe that causes a species to improve and change a bit over time. That’s called microevolution, where existing forms change through time. The problem occurs when a fish becomes a lizard or lizard becomes a bird. There are some huge gaps in the theory for that process, especially when we infer that the fish will eventually become a monkey and then a man. That is called macroevolution, or the changing from one thing to another completely different thing. Worse yet, back the clock up however many billion years you like to believe and we have no explanation of how life began to start with. Here’s how current evolutionary theory works in my over-simplified idiot layman’s terms: First there was nothing. Then it exploded. Then that nothing which had previously exploded sprang to life. Then it eventually became us. Call me crazy, but I think that takes a lot more faith than believing in a God who created things. You judge for yourself.
The fact is that the earth, and the myriad of complicated systems it contains, is too perfect. Furthermore, our own bodies are chockfull of organs, electrical impulses, chemical reactions and interactions, and complimentary and mutually dependent systems to have simply happened by accident, in my humble opinion. My extensive experience with things which have happened by accident leads me to believe we didn’t “just happen.” The human body contains somewhere between three and three hundred trillion cells, all of which seem to know exactly how to form, what to do, and when. Please tell me that’s not a miracle. I’m sorry, but the “how” seems so overwhelming that I must conclude that there might be a “who” involved.
Well, I’ve wandered way beyond the few moments I asked for today so let me leave you with a final thought. Take a look at the facts for yourself and see if they all add up. If you see any possibility of intelligent design or direction, “the Force,” or what some scientists are beginning to concede as “dark energy” then I propose that we need to consider the possibility of a creator. If there really is a creator, or a God, then that changes everything about our existence and even our possible purpose for existence. I’m simply not satisfied with being the most recent monkey design in the evolutionary chain … and I hope you aren’t either. If you have any questions or comments about this subject, feel free to email me at the address on the top of this page. In the mean time, I offer the following satirical poem for your consideration. Feel free to share it with others in order to stimulate additional conversation on this subject. Oh, and enjoy your accidental day at the top of the food chain.
Origins
The finer points of astrophysics can be difficult to understand
First there was nothing, then it exploded, that’s how it all began
Then one rock in particular began to orbit around our sun
Somehow covered itself with water, but the story wasn’t done
For over the course of millions of years, though it’s difficult to believe
Proteins and amino acids combined and simply began to breathe
Then that little glob of life, which had made itself somehow
Found a way, of course, to reproduce … before you know it, holy cow
It grew into bacteria, or some other odd pond scum
Then evolution kicked in, and that speck both deaf and dumb
Grew gills and guts and gonads, a stomach, heart and skin
Eyes and ears, a mouth, a liver, a brain and even fins
It spawned a thousand different species, then ten thousand more
Then grew some legs and lungs and finally crawled up on the shore
It had some kids with snake skin and some more with feathers too
And some cousins on whose heads a bit of hair eventually grew
Of course, the hairy ones were smarter so they made fire and tools
Which they held with opposable thumbs, and used to build new schools
With their lofty knowledge, developed in such institutions
They fired God and then began to worship evolution
So let’s recap the story of our origins and history
First there was nothing, then it exploded, then it began to breathe
Developing complex systems by accident, ignoring laws of entropy
Nothing turned into something and evolved, somehow, into me
And here I am at the top of the food chain, evolution’s lofty pedestal
The pinnacle of natural selection, lacking any purpose or soul
So don’t you tell me about creation, since I’m nobody’s fool
Evolution has to be true … because it’s all they teach in school
By Frank Carpenter ©
Thursday, November 23, 2006
A Thankful Heart
I would simply like to pause this morning and wish my readers a happy Thanksgiving. This is traditionally an American holiday, but the concepts it is based upon are universal. In fact, one of the most important traits we could wish for is a thankful heart. We live in a world of unreasonable expectations and entitlement and so many folks seem to feel that the world, that life, and that even other people owe them something. We tend to focus on what we don’t have or what we’re missing in life instead of what we have already been blessed with. There’s nothing wrong with hopes and dreams and plans, or being motivated. However, the secret to happiness isn’t having what you want. Rather, it is the priceless gift of wanting what you have and that is the result of a thankful heart. Today is the perfect day to take a step back from your unrequited expectations and simply thank God for what you already have in your life. Your spouse and your children, your friends and even your odd relatives, all need hear that you are thankful for them, that they are enough. Today is the day to enjoy and appreciate what and who we have. The fact is that if you’re not happy with your relationships, possessions, health, prosperity or family at this time, it’s unlikely that a change in circumstances will satisfy you. Want what you have, be thankful, and you may surprised how your perspective on life will come around.
In closing, and back on the subject of Thanksgiving, I offer heartfelt holiday wish to you and yours. Remember to be thankful … and to express it to those you love. As a literary offering today, I give a poem by my personal favorite poet, Edgar A. Guest.
The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving
(Edgar Albert Guest, 1881-1959)
It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.
It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day
We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray;
Each little family grows up with fashions of its own;
It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone.
It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends;
There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends,
Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way,
Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.
I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad
To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad;
The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin,
And whether living far or near they all came trooping in
With shouts of "Hello, daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place
And made a rush for mother, who would stop to wipe her face
Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all,
Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.
Then laughter rang throughout the home, and, Oh, the jokes they told;
From Boston, Frank brought new ones, but father sprang the old;
All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do,
The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through;
We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly--
It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye.
Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew
When relatives could still be friends and every heart was true.
In closing, and back on the subject of Thanksgiving, I offer heartfelt holiday wish to you and yours. Remember to be thankful … and to express it to those you love. As a literary offering today, I give a poem by my personal favorite poet, Edgar A. Guest.
The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving
(Edgar Albert Guest, 1881-1959)
It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.
It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day
We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray;
Each little family grows up with fashions of its own;
It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone.
It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends;
There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends,
Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way,
Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.
I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad
To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad;
The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin,
And whether living far or near they all came trooping in
With shouts of "Hello, daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place
And made a rush for mother, who would stop to wipe her face
Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all,
Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.
Then laughter rang throughout the home, and, Oh, the jokes they told;
From Boston, Frank brought new ones, but father sprang the old;
All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do,
The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through;
We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly--
It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye.
Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew
When relatives could still be friends and every heart was true.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Somewhere Beyond
My regular readers will not be surprised to discover that today’s ponderings are based upon a sailing metaphor. The undeniable fact is that I love the ocean and derive great pleasure from boating. However, while I speak and write constantly of far horizons and distant shores, I rarely get very far from home. In fact there’s a very clear line I never seem to cross, at least on my own. That point is a local island which lies just the right distance offshore for a weekend away and, like a homing pigeon, I return to it time and again. Other islands call from a hazy distance and beckon to me from the maps I so love to study, but they hover beyond the reach of convenience. Comfortable anchorages, tired crews and Monday morning work schedules always seem to hold me at bay. So we never make it around the point to the next island … or the big wide world which lies beyond it.
I believe most of us have such lines of demarcation in our lives. We love to dream. We love to talk. Yet we never seem willing to round that final point and abandon the safety of familiar shores. Sometimes we can even see the next islands off in the distance, but we know that rougher waters must be traversed in order to reach them. In effect, like many who lived before the time of Columbus, we allow our fear and ignorance to determine the size and shape or our personal worlds. Is there a point in your own life which you can’t seem to cross? It could be geographical, relational, spiritual, vocational, financial or emotional. Do you keep sailing to the edge and turning back, like the coastal navigators of old? Let this be your wake up call. Somewhere beyond that next point of land, shrouded in the dreamlike haze of the unknown, lie the far horizons of the future. They beckon us to brave the oceans of life and set sail to discover them, to plant our flags upon their exotic shores and claim them as our own.
So join me, if you will fellow travelers. It’s high time to haul our anchors up out of the mud, hoist our sails and venture beyond the familiar harbors which we have haunted for far too long. The world is your oyster, and it’s waiting for you … somewhere beyond that last point of land. I believe all that remains to be said is, “bon voyage.”
Somewhere Beyond
Somewhere beyond that point ahead
An open ocean beckons to me
Beyond where no stone or human voice
Taints the broad and trackless sea
One final landmark, one last island
Then this continent will be gone
Thence the ocean, like my dreams
Stretches on and on and on
I hear it singing on the wind
I feel its tugging swell
This sea, the vixen of my soul
Whose voice I know so well
It whispers from beyond the point
Of shores I’ve yet to know
My heart is drawn beyond that point
Where I must someday go
By Frank Carpenter ©
I believe most of us have such lines of demarcation in our lives. We love to dream. We love to talk. Yet we never seem willing to round that final point and abandon the safety of familiar shores. Sometimes we can even see the next islands off in the distance, but we know that rougher waters must be traversed in order to reach them. In effect, like many who lived before the time of Columbus, we allow our fear and ignorance to determine the size and shape or our personal worlds. Is there a point in your own life which you can’t seem to cross? It could be geographical, relational, spiritual, vocational, financial or emotional. Do you keep sailing to the edge and turning back, like the coastal navigators of old? Let this be your wake up call. Somewhere beyond that next point of land, shrouded in the dreamlike haze of the unknown, lie the far horizons of the future. They beckon us to brave the oceans of life and set sail to discover them, to plant our flags upon their exotic shores and claim them as our own.
So join me, if you will fellow travelers. It’s high time to haul our anchors up out of the mud, hoist our sails and venture beyond the familiar harbors which we have haunted for far too long. The world is your oyster, and it’s waiting for you … somewhere beyond that last point of land. I believe all that remains to be said is, “bon voyage.”
Somewhere Beyond
Somewhere beyond that point ahead
An open ocean beckons to me
Beyond where no stone or human voice
Taints the broad and trackless sea
One final landmark, one last island
Then this continent will be gone
Thence the ocean, like my dreams
Stretches on and on and on
I hear it singing on the wind
I feel its tugging swell
This sea, the vixen of my soul
Whose voice I know so well
It whispers from beyond the point
Of shores I’ve yet to know
My heart is drawn beyond that point
Where I must someday go
By Frank Carpenter ©
Friday, November 10, 2006
Veterans Day
Fellow citizens, let us not forget that this Saturday, November 11th, is Veterans Day. I believe this should be one of our most cherished national holidays because it honors those who have served our country in the military. It was originally Armistice Day, set aside to honor those who served in WWI, since that was the first real global conflict and considered the “war to end all wars.” Then WWII came along, which was even bigger and the holiday was expanded to cover it as well. We now recognize Veterans Day as being devoted to all service men and women who have served in conflicts abroad on our behalf. And we continue to be at war, even today. Without belaboring our current conflict or any political ramifications thereof, let me just encourage all my fellow Americans to pause for a moment to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of all those who have fought to defend not only our freedoms, but the freedom of countless others around the world. Let’s thank God for what they have done and let us also, as a nation, pray for the safety and courage of those who are currently serving on our behalf. Ironically, freedom isn’t free ... and this day is set aside for the purpose of honoring those who best understand what the real cost is. I actually began writing today’s poem on Memorial Day but never quite got closure. This weekend, however, when I began to think about Veterans Day, the words finally gelled. If you know someone in the military take the time to write, call or pray for them. If you know someone who served in the past, do the same … and don’t forget to thank them. Veterans Day is a day of mourning and a day of gratitude. It is a day when we remember our obligations not only to our own great nation, but to others who count upon us the world over. Let us be a nation who remembers, and be sure to remind others what day it is and why we celebrate it. If you are interested, you will find below my poem a history of Veterans Day which makes very interesting reading. May God bless America, now and always.
The Cost of Freedom
As we consider Veterans Day
Let us remember what this day means
Let us remember the rows of head stones
Stretching across the fields of green
Each stands in tribute to those fallen
On behalf of this nation we share
Men and women who proudly served
Who paid with their last breath of air
For the lofty ideals of democracy
For the freedom of each of us
Often dying in far away lands
While never betraying our trust
Freedom isn’t free at all
It is costly beyond compare
Purchased by the precious blood
Of heroes, and loved one’s despair
So as we celebrate Veterans Day
In this land of the brave and free
May we be ever mindful
Of the awesome responsibility
We owe to those who have fallen
Whom our nation was built upon
Let us fight to preserve that freedom
So our children may carry it on
By Frank Carpenter ©
HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
Official recognition of the end of the first modern global conflict -- World War I - - was made in a concurrent resolution (44 Stat. 1982) enacted by Congress on June 4, 1926, with these words:
WHEREAS the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
WHEREAS it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
WHEREAS the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, and the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as " Day. " Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "Veterans. " With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation " which stated:
"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."
A letter from the President to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, was sent on the same date designating him to serve as Chairman. In 1958, the White House advised the VA's General Counsel that there was no need for another letter of appointment for each new Administrator, as the original proclamation in 1954 established the Committee with the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman. The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays- - Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the express will of the overwhelming majority of the State legislatures, all major service organizations and the American people. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only reserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
This information came from the following web site at: http://www1.va.gov/vetsday/page.cfm?pg=3
The Cost of Freedom
As we consider Veterans Day
Let us remember what this day means
Let us remember the rows of head stones
Stretching across the fields of green
Each stands in tribute to those fallen
On behalf of this nation we share
Men and women who proudly served
Who paid with their last breath of air
For the lofty ideals of democracy
For the freedom of each of us
Often dying in far away lands
While never betraying our trust
Freedom isn’t free at all
It is costly beyond compare
Purchased by the precious blood
Of heroes, and loved one’s despair
So as we celebrate Veterans Day
In this land of the brave and free
May we be ever mindful
Of the awesome responsibility
We owe to those who have fallen
Whom our nation was built upon
Let us fight to preserve that freedom
So our children may carry it on
By Frank Carpenter ©
HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
Official recognition of the end of the first modern global conflict -- World War I - - was made in a concurrent resolution (44 Stat. 1982) enacted by Congress on June 4, 1926, with these words:
WHEREAS the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
WHEREAS it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
WHEREAS the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, and the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as " Day. " Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "Veterans. " With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation " which stated:
"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."
A letter from the President to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, was sent on the same date designating him to serve as Chairman. In 1958, the White House advised the VA's General Counsel that there was no need for another letter of appointment for each new Administrator, as the original proclamation in 1954 established the Committee with the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman. The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays- - Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the express will of the overwhelming majority of the State legislatures, all major service organizations and the American people. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only reserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
This information came from the following web site at: http://www1.va.gov/vetsday/page.cfm?pg=3
Saturday, November 04, 2006
The Unforgiving Minute
Life is an endless series of moments, of minutes if you will, and many of them come with choices to make. They will consist primarily of small, seemingly insignificant choices, but some will turn out to be life changing ... even life defining. The secret, therefore, to living a life of honor, value and significance lies in the management of those choices. For every choice counts and moves us in a particular direction. I love the end of Rudyard Kipling’s classic poem “If” which concludes with the words:
“If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
Yours is the world and everything that’s in it
And, what is more, you’ll be a man, my son”
That “unforgiving minute” can take many forms, but as the sands of the hour glass slip through our fingers we must make decisions which will betray our true selves and help to shape our destiny. Regardless what we have said about ourselves or our beliefs, those choices we make moment to moment shall tell the story of our lives. Like gentle adjustments in the wheel of a ship, they direct our course and even seemingly minor corrections can make the difference between a safe passage and a disaster. There are potentially bad choices which we can back away from or easily correct, yet some will come along which must be bourn for a lifetime. So let us choose carefully, lest the unforgiving minute should catch us unawares. Let us seize each moment, each minute, and make it count.
The Unforgiving Minute
It matters little what folks think
Or how we compare with the rest
In the end, a man must prove himself
When it comes his time to test
For there are moments in each life
When words are simply not enough
When the mettle of a man is tried
And life will call his bluff
Then he finds himself come face to face
And standing all alone
Before the things he fears the most
And his true character is shown
When all his days and months and years
Shall finally culminate
In the unforgiving minute
Which is dealt each man by fate
That moment when he proves himself
To be either false or true
To that which he has long professed
And stood for hitherto
That single unforgiving minute when
His whole lifetime comes to bear
Showing him, at last, triumphant
Or pitching him into despair
Is the moment each man dreams of
And the moment each man fears
The sudden, unforgiving minute
Which defines him all his years
By Frank Carpenter ©
“If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
Yours is the world and everything that’s in it
And, what is more, you’ll be a man, my son”
That “unforgiving minute” can take many forms, but as the sands of the hour glass slip through our fingers we must make decisions which will betray our true selves and help to shape our destiny. Regardless what we have said about ourselves or our beliefs, those choices we make moment to moment shall tell the story of our lives. Like gentle adjustments in the wheel of a ship, they direct our course and even seemingly minor corrections can make the difference between a safe passage and a disaster. There are potentially bad choices which we can back away from or easily correct, yet some will come along which must be bourn for a lifetime. So let us choose carefully, lest the unforgiving minute should catch us unawares. Let us seize each moment, each minute, and make it count.
The Unforgiving Minute
It matters little what folks think
Or how we compare with the rest
In the end, a man must prove himself
When it comes his time to test
For there are moments in each life
When words are simply not enough
When the mettle of a man is tried
And life will call his bluff
Then he finds himself come face to face
And standing all alone
Before the things he fears the most
And his true character is shown
When all his days and months and years
Shall finally culminate
In the unforgiving minute
Which is dealt each man by fate
That moment when he proves himself
To be either false or true
To that which he has long professed
And stood for hitherto
That single unforgiving minute when
His whole lifetime comes to bear
Showing him, at last, triumphant
Or pitching him into despair
Is the moment each man dreams of
And the moment each man fears
The sudden, unforgiving minute
Which defines him all his years
By Frank Carpenter ©
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