Friday, June 30, 2017

Faith (part 2) - Founding Fathers' Faith and the Fourth of July

Declaration of Independence (1819)/wikipedia.com
It's summer, again.

And July is in the middle of it all. School's out. Vacations. Picnics. Holidays. And important dates in American history. Such as...

1776

A watershed year during interesting times.

Our country was born that year on the Fourth of July. And the John Trumbull painting above captures that iconic moment with this description from wikipedia commons:

"John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill. The original hangs in the US Capitol rotunda."

[reference: Declaration of Independence (1819)/wikipedia.com ]
 
And this painting, in the public domain, is a favorite graphic for articles about American history and the first Fourth of July. Such as in this US Independence Day video, which most elegantly gives their tribute:



With the YouTube video are the comments of its creator:

"The Fourth of July is more than just a date on a calendar. It is the celebration of an event which transformed a nation and eventually changed the world. It is the day on which our founding fathers declared their independence and forged the way for fledgling nation to become great. 

"As the Independence Day video announces, 'Freedom is not a work of men alone. It is a gift from the Almighty God.'

"This spiritual freedom is the freedom that the patriotic video celebrates. Using memorable images of Christian history and heritage--such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Washington's crossing of the Delaware--the video tells a message of our freedom and focuses upon God, the source of true freedom and deliverance. 

This short July Fourth video will tell a message of hope and deliverance, while at the same time expressing appreciation for the United States of America."

I cannot say it better than that.

But as the quote above says - Freedom is not a work of men alone. It is a gift from the Almighty God. 

But whoever looks intently 
into the perfect law that gives freedom, 
and continues in it—
not forgetting what they have heard, 
but doing it—
they will be blessed 
in what they do. 
James 1:25 (NIV) 


Since the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers expressed Faith in the Foundation of the Bible and the Judeo-Christian values for the new republic and for governing the nation, as seen in the montage below:




And without faith
it is impossible to please God,
because anyone
who comes to Him
must believe that He exists
and that He rewards those
who earnestly seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

It's been over 240 years...
As we celebrate this holiday in the 21st century, may we heed the advice of  Krista Branch's song, Remember Who We Are.



This Fourth of July may we remember the blessings of God and be thankful for the Faith of our Founding Fathers.

As we look back, St. Paul's words can apply to them...

We remember
before our God and Father
your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)


Amen.

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Other post in the series:

Faith (part 1) - Star Trek and Christianity 

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photo: Declaration of Independence (1819)/wikipedia.com

Friday, June 16, 2017

PPP (part 1) - All Men are Liars

Proverb Scroll/wikipeida.com

Remember this childhood taunt on the playground?

Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Nose as long as a telephone wire.
[ reference: Liar Liar ]

And how many have heard this joke?


How to tell a politician is lying...his lips move. 
[ reference:  How to tell...]


And there is much said about this in Psalms and Proverbs about Politics.

Here we go....

Psalms:

King David once said -

I said in my haste,
All men are liars.

Psalm 116:11 (KJV)

And I've heard it said, after giving it a lot of thought, many of us come to that same conclusion -

Everybody lies

So did House, the surly doctor in the TV series named after his character, House (2004 - 2012).




"It's a basic truth of the human condition
that everybody lies. 
The only variable is about what."

Indeed that's a proverb. And there's many like them.

Proverbs:

King David's son Solomon gave this nugget -

The lip of truth shall be established for ever:
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Proverbs 12:19 (KJV)

But what about this moment? The politically expedient.

Politics:

We've seen this play out in the various types of media. Below is a clip that could be the playbook for many a politician from the old movie, A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

It is described as: A man gives his co-worker a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught. 

Like who are going believe, me or your lying eyes as shown in this scene below:


Deny, Deny, Deny

In thousands of years, human nature hasn't change.

And as King Solomon once said:
...
and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV)

And the words from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah about lying are just as true today.

For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Isaiah 59:3 (KJV)

The song below contain those words of the prophet as a lament, but also hope as offered in the Gospel:



( reference: https://youtu.be/62p_JWGBRlM    )


Here are the full lyrics from the The Liberated Wailing Wall - I Am Not Ashamed

* The Arm of the Lord

* I Am Not Ashamed

And as our country is so divided and evil seems to be unleashed, a look at Psalms and Proverbs along side Politics can illuminate the Sign of the Times as well offer some hope for troubling days.

So begins the new thread ...

PPP - Psalms, Proverbs and Politics

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Thursday, June 1, 2017

Science 101 (part 6) - June's Strawberry Moon

Strawberry/wikipedia

Coming June 9, 2017 is the full moon. And as EarthSky reports, the year's smallest moon.
[reference:  Year’s smallest full moon on June 9 ]

But such beauty in nature deserves a more than just the scientific facts.

The June full moon of Native American folklore is the Strawberry Moon. Its European counterpart, the Rose Moon. Where the sky and earth meet in the eye of the beholder.

Its story is told below:




For more information where science meets folklore, check out:

*  National Geographic article: Full Moons: What's in a Name? 

*  The Old Farmer's Almanac: Full Moon for June 2017


Science written  in earth and sky. 
Spring to Summer.
It's June.

The time when flowers come to full blossom.
Earth's fruits to fruition. 

And a favored month for marriages.
New beginnings on earth.

  
Blessings....
And enjoy the strawberries!

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Previous posts in this series:

Science 101 (part 1) - Vernal Equinox  (2013)

Science 101 (part 2) - The Sound of Music? (2013)

Science 101 (part 3) - From Galileo to Apollo (2013)

Science 101 (part 4) - Cosmos Continued ... (2014) 

Science 101 (part 5) - August Meteor Showers (2016)


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Photo: Strawberry/wikipedia