This past Monday, Memorial Day, May 27, marked the “unofficial” start of Summer here in the United States. As always … “it’s all about the weather” …
I know there are a lot of weather stories happening right now, and I am certainly not, in any way, trying to minimize those … it’s just that I write a lot about our weather up here in the “North Country/The Great North Woods,” and, frankly, I do this because so many of our friends, especially in the “Southern Parts” find it so hard to believe.
I guess this would be a “case in point.” I remember, just a little over a month ago, I was speaking with family way down in South Texas. This was Saturday, April 6. We still had well over 2 feet of snow on the ground … And, much, much more on the way … He was telling me that “next week it’s supposed to be in the 90’s down here …”
So, I offer this as a further explanation of “what it’s like” up here. It’s Monday, Memorial Day, May 27, the “unofficial start of Summer,” and, as the South suffers through a “sweltering heat wave,” for us, up here … I’ve got 2 words for ‘ya buddy …
“Freeze Warning”
Did I mention that it was May 27? Memorial Day? The unofficial start of Summer? That part of the country is breaking records for heat? We get: “Freeze Warning”
By the way, if you’ll notice, at the bottom of the warning … there is actually a 2nd Warning in effect: “Cold Water Warning”
No kidding!
Just so you’ll know … I turned the heat (the furnace) off when I got home from School yesterday. It was May 30. And … just so you’ll know … as I write this tonight … Friday, May 31 … Meaning tomorrow is the first day of June … The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Weather Alert for “Cold Water.”
Christmas. We celebrate when God became man, in the form of Jesus. Jesus.
Here, during Christmas, I’d just like to get that in, again: Jesus. God became man, in the form of Jesus. I think we need to get more of Jesus “in.”
For centuries, “it was written;” it was said, that the Messiah would come. The Messiah, Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” would come. He did. Just like He said.
I also believe that “He’s coming back … just like He said.”
Often, in the past, when people have asked me about why I believe so much in Jesus, in the Words of Jesus, and, especially when they ask about why I believe so strongly that Jesus is coming back, returning to earth, I have responded with something like, “Well … Everything else that Jesus said would happen, did happen. Everything. Even that thing about Him rising from the dead …”
Jesus did come to earth, all those centuries ago. He was born, lived and died … “according to the Scriptures …” He said He’s coming back. I believe Him. Because I believe in Him.
Jesus didn’t just leave. He ascended, physically, bodily, into Heaven. In front of witnesses. “… while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said … ‘why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).
Just as He talked about His death, and His resurrection, He talked about His returning.
So, “I believe He’s coming back like He said.”
Here’s Howard and Vestal Goodman, with Johnny Minick. I think this is from the Georgia Dome, from the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Series:
It was the first public appearance of Robert F. Kennedy, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
This year, Thanksgiving was on November 22. Like many of you, Thanksgiving is a special day for me. In fact, the entire weekend (for me … 4 days!!!) is something I look forward to, all year.
This year, it seemed that I paid more attention to “November 22” than to “Thanksgiving.”
It may be because, for the past few months, I have been researching the history of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. I have read much, and watched many documentaries and films on their lives, and their families’ lives and history. As I’ve read, and viewed, the one thing that strikes me the most, personally, is how close “John and Bobby” were. That is the one thing I have “taken away” from my studies. I just completed a Library display entitled “A Brother’s Trust,” which I will share in the future.
On March 13, 1964, it was exactly 16 weeks after November 22, 1963. In his introduction of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Jack Paar stated, “ … A man whose own life reminds us of what brother really means …”
Many of you may remember that Senator John F. Kennedy, as a presidential candidate, had appeared on “The Jack Parr Show” on June 16, 1960.
I think that, even though I didn’t know them personally, I feel a personal connection. Because … I have brothers, too. While I don’t exactly remember President Kennedy, I remember the times that followed. I remember, very well, Robert Kennedy. I remember “the times which followed” both. I remember well enough to ponder, in a deeply emotional way, “what might have been.”
56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. What sort of men were these? 24 were judges and lawyers. 9 were farmers and plantation owners. 11 were merchants. The remaining 12? They were doctors, ministers, and politicians.
Personal note: “Politicians” were in the minority … Commonly, they are listed as the last “group.” One, as you’ll discover, served in Congress without pay.
They were all educated … “men of means” … and, all knew that signing this document put their lives … their property … their “means” … in jeopardy …
These 56 men were willing to sacrifice everything … to insure our freedom.
Please hear the story of Thomas Nelson, Jr. The Governor of Virginia. He signed it. Then, lived it. I’m not sure when we started calling certain citizens, like politicians and judges, “honorable,” or adding “The Honorable” to their titles, but … please hear the story of Virginia Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr … The Honorable Thomas Nelson, Jr.
At the end is a full list of all 56 signers. 56 men. Real men. Real brave. Real heroes. Real Americans. Real statesmen. United Statesmen.
Produced by “Clear Glass Productions.”
“I am thankful to have this time … not to look at what we’ve become … but, to look back at what we were …” Richard. Vincent. Rose.
“The price for this freedom has been high … but we have never been unwilling to pay that price … We must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women …” President Ronald Reagan
“I, Paul Harvey, do herewith bequeath unto you, something to remember.You may not be able to quote one line from the Declaration of Independence … henceforth, you’ll always be able to quote at least one line … These men … they considered liberty more important than security … they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor … and they fulfilled their pledge … they paid the price …”
God is so good, and His Word is true. Period. He proves it, day after day, even hour after hour, and, yes, even year after year.
I find myself reminding you, encouraging you, at every time of the year, how important it is to remember God’s promises. These promises aren’t just for today, tomorrow, and the next day … but, God’s Word, His promises, are, literally, for eternity. Times past and times ahead.
I really like what David said … That the same God who saved/protected him from the lion, and the bear … That same God … still alive and still with him … That same God … will save/protect him from what the future brings. Because, that same God, which was with him before … will be with him now … and, will be with him in the future.
What better way to meditate on the future … than remembering God’s favor in the past?
By the way, that same God which protected David from the lion, and from the bear, was fully capable of doing the same thing to whatever “giant” David may face in the future. Just like us.
No wonder David wrote so many of the Psalms. Think about so many of the Psalms David wrote: He remembered God’s faithfulness in the past, and as a direct result of that, David knew he could count on God in the present … and in the future. How many of the Psalms carry this same message! Just as God could be counted upon in the past, he could be counted on now. And, in the future. For now, and for all eternity, God is the same, and His Word was true, is true, and will continue to be true. Period.
I’m reminded that David faced many “giants” in his life. Some, were giants only to him. Some were giants to “everyone.” David faced many private giants, and also, faced giants which everyone else saw as giants. The same rule applied: The same God who saved/protected him from “this” giant, would, was fully capable of, saving him from all future giants. One thing for sure: Whether the giant he was facing was private, or personal, or public … everyone saw how he handled it. This hasn’t changed.
While David wrote many of the Psalms by hand, we write Psalms by our lives. Whether the giant we are facing is private, or personal, or public … everyone sees how we handle it.
So, again, I urge you to post Scripture, especially of God’s promises, “around the house,” where you can see them. Everyday. I’ve written many “What’s on Your” posts just to highlight this message. Yes, I will always encourage you, even beg you, to begin your day, every day, with prayer and Bible study. And, something as simple (it would seem) as a calendar which displays God’s Word and His Promises.
A dear, dear family member gives me a calendar, with Scripture, every year for Christmas. It is the calendar which hangs in my office at home. I can’t say how many times I read the Scripture verse as the month goes by. These verses have meant a lot to me, and, it’s funny, how often the Scripture verse for that particular month is exactly what I need to see (and read) at a particular moment. When I received a new Scripture calendar this year, I made sure I stated how important these calendars are to me, and that, frankly, I look forward to receiving them each year. In fact, I remarked, I still had the calendar from 2016, which I had saved, in order to write about how the calendar had blessed me throughout the year.
As I was cleaning out the office, going through my “to write” file … I found the calendar of which I spoke. However … it wasn’t 2016 … it was 2015 … I still had it, saving it, and its treasured verses, to share at some time in the future. This should also explain how far behind I am, or how much I have stored, to write about, as God moves me to save a particular picture, or story, or, in this case, an entire year of pictures.
As I thought about finally writing about how this particular calendar, from 20105, had meant so much to me, I got the idea to just share the entire calendar with you. Why not? God’s Word is just as real now, as it was then. In fact … all of the promises … all of the Scripture … is still true today … and, will be true … tomorrow … and, for that matter, next year … just as they were then.
So, here is the calendar from 2015. I was able to “scan” it in, and made a movie. This Power Point thing, adding the photos, and adding music to it, and then making a movie of it, was a considerable “giant” to me. Guess what? The same God who used these calendar pages to encourage, and bless me, on every day of 2015 … is still alive … and, His promises … His Word … is still true. Enjoy!
Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason, I have this idea that people don’t send as many Christmas Cards as they used to. Maybe that truly is the case, especially with the introduction of those “e-cards” a few years ago. Don’t we all remember, for example, at work, there were some people who gave out Christmas Cards to almost everyone? Remember that? You did that, too?
How about that big stack of cards you sent out, every year, to everyone on “your list?” Funny … as we get older … doesn’t that list get shorter?
Still, there is that one true horror in the “Christmas Card” biz, and it seems to happen every year, regardless of how many, or how few you send: From out of nowhere … you get a Christmas Card … right before Christmas … from someone who wasn’t on “your list” … And … horror of horrors … it’s too late to send them one!
I think the reason I feel like people don’t send as many Christmas Cards these days is because, other than the fact that I don’t send as many … Ouch! … is that people, in general, just don’t write as many letters as they used to … Some people don’t write letters at all. Think about it. I may be one of the few guys who still writes letters … and, I don’t write very many at all. But, I still write them … occasionally. For me, I think it’s because I do so much writing through the year, in formats such as this. And, I will admit … even as a “writer,” I haven’t “penned/hand-written” a letter in a long, long time. I type them! But, admittedly, I don’t type as many as I used to, either.
Just as a final thought, think about this: Because of the way our society has changed, think of how many people there are, “out there,” who have never written a letter at all-in their entire lives. My Mom and Dad wrote letters. I wrote letters. If a Mom or Dad “out there” doesn’t write letters, what are the chances their children will? Sadly, the same equation applies for reading.
When I did the research of how many Christmas cards are sent each year, or just cards in general which are purchased, I was amazed. I couldn’t find a “now vs. then” comparison, but the number of Cards purchased each year was astounding:
According to the Greeting Card Association (GCA), 7 billion greeting cards (holiday cards, birthday cards, etc.) are sent every year in the United States.
Over 2 billion Christmas cards are sent in the United States each year. Keep in mind that the total US population is 326 Million. Only 15% of Christmas cards sent are purchased by men.
Now, from the “Statistic Brain Research Institute,” are these numbers:
Holidays Ranked by Most Cards Sent Number of Cards Sent
1. Christmas (including boxed and individual) 1.5 billion
2. Valentine’s Day (including boxed and individual) 144 million
3. Mother’s Day 133 million
4. Fathers Day 94 million
5. Easter 57 million
6. Halloween 20 million
7. Thanksgiving 10 million
8. St. Patrick’s day 8 million
We’ve been thinking about sharing this for a while, and after finding this video which features the words, we wanted to share this with you now. Here is Jim Reeves and “An Old Christmas Card.” Notice that, while it pays homage to all cards … it is really about a particular card … from long, long ago:
Here on our Blog, we feature a category called, “I Remember.” I thought that this post would be called, “I Remember Thanksgiving,” and speak of how we seem to have forgotten Thanksgiving, or perhaps, how Thanksgiving has been “down-trodden” by shoppers (meaning advertisers) rushing to get to Christmas …
As I think about it, perhaps, this post should be titled something like “I Can’t Remember” … As in, “I can’t remember a time when Thanksgiving came so fast,” or, “I can’t remember a time when Thanksgiving was so over-looked” … It seems like every year that passes, Thanksgiving gets more over-looked, or “brushed aside,” to make room for “The Holidays” … To me, Thanksgiving is still a big Holiday, one that I look forward to all year. Perhaps, dare I say, it’s still my favorite Holiday … those 4 days off … really seem like “4 days off”…
These days, it seems the only time I hear “Thanksgiving” is when the commercial says, “Black Friday … Open 6:00PM on Thanksgiving.” Just to give you an idea, it seems not so long ago that the “Early Open” for Black Friday was 6:00AM on Friday … Now, it’s 6:00 PM on Thursday … As we “progress,” does this mean that next, it’ll be “12:00 Noon on Thursday” or, maybe, even earlier …?
Just one: “I Remember” when you didn’t see any … that’s any … “Open Thanksgiving” signs …
As I pondered this, it suddenly hit me … How did Andy Rooney feel about this? I just knew there may be a “Why is that?” in there … I found it, and I will share it with you now: Here’s Andy Rooney, decorated Veteran, and his thoughts on Thanksgiving. He really does echo what I wanted to say here. Not just to “Remember Thanksgiving.” But, also, “Remember Thanksgiving?”
“I would like to thank soldiers of past and present for their service and everything they have done. I don’t think we realize how much you boys have done.”
Our thirteenth video in this series features
“Amazing Grace/Amazing Images.”
Originally produced as a “Veterans Day” Salute, the only text in the video, other than the “thank you” which opens this introductions, are the words of a soldier, writing to his son: ” … I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND MISS YOU SO MUCH, MY HEART HURTS. AND I HOPE TO GET HOME TO YOU AND MOMMY SOON … AND DON’T FORGET ME. LOVE ALWAYS, DADDY”
As we continue to remember, to “NEVER FORGET,” that
pastorappreciationblog.com 