I Corinthians 13:1, Romans 8:28, and the docent

I Corinthians 13:1:
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.


Romans 8:28:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.


Honor:
Honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions (to show respect to is also noted)


On August 28, 2010, we prayed for a restoration of honor in our bountiful nation under God. With God's grace, we will continue forward on that path.


History was not one of my favorite subjects, mostly memorization of dates and events and notable people. Since my Mom started bringing our family history to life with her research, photos, and phenomenal books, I have begun to take note. History makes sense. History is important.


There were two other subjects even less agreeable to my educational palate: calculus and chemistry. My brother said I would have enjoyed calculus had he been my teacher; my beau, Tom, said I would have loved chemistry had he been my instructor.

Mom, my brother, and Tom, though different in their interests, have one thing in common: passion and the desire to share it with others. 


How dry and boring American history was until I really came to understand how it affects us today, thanks to those who have studied, devoured, and shared their passion, as well as those who would corrupt and revise our country's reason for being. 


The words of the Founding Fathers, as written in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and volumes of other documents, have come alive with the fervor and passion of those divinely-inspired authors. 


But for the passionate modern-day keepers, our history and freedoms might become buried in the rubble of a new day by those whose passion is to rewrite and deliberately misunderstand the simplistic (yet intricately thoughtful) words offering up our "entitlements" as given us by our Creator, and our responsibilities that come with the privileges of freedoms. 


If you've visited a museum or notable figure's home, you probably encountered a docent who gives you a cursory or in depth tour, and can answer all manner of questions about the person and the home with a passion. 


Thank goodness we the people have a preservationist docent who gives us almost daily tours into the hearts and minds of our Founding Fathers, who brings history lessons to chalk boards, who shares with us how our founders, presidents, and other historical figures have impacted the lives of those in their eras as well as our lives. That docent is Glenn Beck, a passionate man with a determination to share as much as he can as quickly as he can. And every monologue and history lesson is riveting. He glides across the set with agility, using his movements and gestures as expressively as his words.  


There are those who condemn this self-taught student of history who, admittedly, doesn't have all of the answers but more than likely knows others who do. They label without listening. They don't understand how someone can use a 1950s style of teaching and  captivate his classroom each and every night. It's his passion and well-studied words. 


My mom and dad have been entrepreneurs all of their lives. As Mom says, "Your Dad listened to others with more experience and learned something from everyone he encountered, then he used it in his professional life." 


I believe Glenn Beck learns something from everyone he encounters. I believe Glenn Beck knows God has placed a burden on his shoulders and in his heart to spread a specific message about our country and place in history. God uses all of us in different ways. God has given Glenn Beck the gift of passionate oratory, to inspire and stir the many who are fortunate enough to have him as their docent through our country's history. As we leave the tour every evening, we should take away something and figure out what we can do with that something during our time and place in history. 


We the people are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are guarantees. What we do with them will determine what we give our children. Glenn Beck has opened eyes with his passion. Let us find our passions and use them to the best of our abilities. God has blessed America mightily. He will continue to bless us. We need to be open to the message and the blessings. 

Bail out the Big 3: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

From Vicki:

It's been a while. Lots has happened since my last blog post. Tom and I made a quick trip to D.C. for the 9-12 march on Washington. It was incredible!

Earlier that week I had pulled a muscle in my right leg and was using crutches. Not a perfect situation for walking around D.C. And it was a beautiful weekend. Tom's brother, Pat, dropped us off at the Capitol so we didn't actually get to walk from Freedom Plaza. There was such a level of respect for people and our national capital. Most of the signs expressed the frustration of our voices not being heard by our elected representatives. Our sign received lots of double takes: Bail out the Big 3--Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

There were veterans of wars, heroes who fought for our country. Tom and I stopped to thank as many as we could. There is never enough thanks for what they have given to us.

As we were leaving the Capitol area, one of the peaceful protestors stopped to apologize for a worker who was putting discarded posters in a trash buggy. Then he handed the fellow a $10 and thanked him for his service. The only negative reaction we saw and heard was from a couple of gals who yelled out of a metro bus window: Racists! You are racists!  One of the ladies on the sidewalk calmly looked over and remarked: You really don't understand, do you?

For too many years I've taken this marvelous country for granted. I suppose it's like an historic building: you can't neglect the building blocks or it will fall into ruin. Living free takes work and we've had our wake-up call.

God Bless America. Say a prayer for our troops both here and abroad. They are following our Constitution by protecting us. It's up to us to preserve our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Please pray that Congress wakes up and takes a stand for the Constitution.

Freedom of Speech/The Constitution

From Vicki:

In conjunction with Sheepdogs4onevote.org, I have produced some talking point handouts in PDF format. The link is in the title. Feel free to print outas many copies of these handouts as you need. Pass them on to friends in the swing states so they'll have them, also.

We have 1 vote and less than 2 weeks!!

We The People Tees

From Vicki:

I just designed a new t-shirt that's for sale at Cafe Press. The link is the title to this post. Here's the copy for the t-shirt:

If you think Socialism is a party, you're right.
We the People say NO to the invite.
Vote responsibly.
Our Founding Fathers would approve this message.

Less than two weeks until the election. Every vote will count. Take it seriously!

We need to take up our pitchforks and take back our Union!

From Vicki

A couple of months ago, Tom and I had a limited quantity of these little pitchfork lapel pins produced. One of the most conservative television and radio talk show hosts had been talking about the Constitution and how we needed to get out our pitchforks and torches and take back our country. So folks began sending him real pitchforks. We sent him the lapel pin, which he wore faithfully for a while.

Just this week, another conservative television host talked about real Americans taking up their pitchforks and heading to Washington. People realize our basic beliefs and those of our founding fathers are in serious jeopardy. It is time for We the People to take back our Union!

Your one vote is precious. Pray about it and use it wisely. It's a privilege not afforded to enough people in our world. God will use us if we'll just let him.

In case you are interested, the title is a link to our pitchfork lapel pin website. We'd love to hear what you think about it. Share your passion about our Constitution and why this document has stayed the course even if the politicians haven't. We are the most blessed country on earth! Thank you, God!

Sheepdogs4onevote

From Vicki

I was listening to talk radio yesterday afternoon and heard about a meeting to take place last night. This lady, Ann, said she received a direct message from God to do something to help our country during this upcoming election. I went to the meeting and was amazed to find about 35 people who were of like mind, worried about the future of our republic and concerned we hadn't learned from the past. The election is in two weeks. Ann plans to have caravans with signage going to the swing states of Ohio, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, etc., to carry information about voting and the candidates. Reaching young people with the message about the two platforms in an easy-to-read, quickly explained format is the key.

Ann's new web page link is listed above. She got her idea from William Bennett's speech about sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. The sheep need the sheepdogs to protect them from the predator wolves, so sheepdogs must have a vicious instinct but a compassionate one, also.

I was inspired by this lady. I had wondered what on earth I could do in the state of Tennessee to help affect the votes in those swing states. Now I know. I can help with my God-given talents to produce some interesting, to-the-point handouts about our wonderful country and how we need to protect our freedom.

As I learned in Sunday School years ago (and my Mom happened to be my teacher that year), I can't hide my talents in a drawer and expect them not to grow stagnant. They need to be used and used well.

How can we show compassion as conservatives?

From Vicki
In response to the last post, my daughter commented with the following:

How can we show compassion as conservatives? Sometimes it seems like the only way you can be understood as having a heart or caring about the welfare of others is if you believe that the government should share your money with those who are less fortunate. Why do people so easily buy into the idea that the government is the best mechanism for compassion, or the only mechanism for that matter? We can speak with our wallets without the government being involved. I believe that advocating for government policies you believe in (with regards to improving welfare here or internationally) is important, but we can also make a difference without waiting for the government to act. We can give to charities that we believe in today. People who donate to causes they support should be considered as, or more compassionate that those who merely talk about how a government institution should do that work.

October 17, 2008 6:42 AM

Joe knows what's best for Joe! plus My lesson on capitalism for my son after casting his first presidential ballot!

From Vicki

Joe knows what's best for Joe!

After the final 2008 presidential debate last night, Joe the plumber became a household phrase. As the press likes to say, he put a face to entrepreneurs wanting to own their own small businesses. Joe asked a legitimate question about being taxed at a higher rate if he owns a successful business.

It's not fair for Joe and it's not fair for anyone who aspires to do well through hard and smart work. What is the incentive if you know you will have to give the government more money? Entrepreneurs are risk-takers with capital they have raised, earned, or borrowed, and it is their personal responsibility to be successful. The government should applaud rather than penalize this good behavior. Read any preschool teachers' guidebook. That's what you'll find!

Casting your first presidential ballot should almost be a spiritual experience...and definitely a patriotic one. Our founding fathers gave us this amazing opportunity!!

My son and I participated in early voting today. Afterwards, I stressed what a privilege it is to live in a free country and have the right to vote, that we must never take it for granted. Then I asked if he knew what socialism is---he knew about communism from civics class in high school. I had just learned that a group of college students was queried for a definition of socialism and they had no clue.

Here's how I explained it to my son:

Say you work hard and make a lot of money and I sit around not wanting to work, but need to be supported somehow. The government says to you, "Gee, you have made a lot more money than you need, but look at her over there. We're going to charge you more taxes so we can help her out." It's called redistribution of wealth and is a Marxist principle.

His immediate reaction: That's not fair, that's not right!

I said, "Well, son, that is socialism. Capitalism is the opposite and gives hard workers the freedom to choose how much wealth they want to accumulate and what they want to do with it. They are free to hire more people and to give of their resources to their churches or other charities who help people who can't work. When given a choice, capitalism is always the better option."

I later asked him if he knew how freedom felt. He said he did. Then I posed, "Well, maybe that's not the question. Maybe it's 'Aren't we glad we don't know how it feels not to have freedom?'"

Footnote: When my son was around six years old and had to ride in the back seat, he endured many conversations on the way home from school, especially when he'd done something he shouldn't have. One day I asked him what was the absolute worst punishment for his transgression. Without hesitation, he said, "A long conversation in the car with you."!! I think he still feels that way; however, we do connect on politics and religion.

How has the media portrayed the candidates in 2008?

From Vicki:

I graduated from journalism school before it was called the college of communications. Journalism 101---the very first and most important rule---the media should be unbiased when reporting the news, unless it is a true opinion column or commentary. I have been so disappointed in the majority of the media for sensationalizing in the headlines to get viewership and readership, which is the main objective. Ratings and readers. It is tinged with yellow. What do you think about how objective or biased the media has been regarding the 2008 presidential campaign? Are we getting facts or opinions or just what?

How has the presidential campaign affected your view of the Constitution?

From Vicki:

Americans are basically good. We want to believe everyone is like us. Sadly, it ain't so. Our Constitution was written carefully and prayerfully by people who wanted the freedom to have a say in their government, taxes, and the general running of their country. That's our country, the United States of America. Do you think people remember this when they have the privilege of voting for president? Do you think they think about who is running and whether or not the candidates actually believe in and want to abide by our founding fathers' principles? Let us hear from you.