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.
From Vicki:It's been a busy weekend. I've had many thoughts about blogs and will get to them soon. Last Friday evening, Tom and I made the trek to Bristol, Virginia to meet Glenn Beck. We were among more than 600 who wanted to see up close and personal if this real Glenn Beck was the one we knew from radio and television. Yep, he was. He was there to promote and sign his latest book, The Christmas Sweater, a tear-jerking, Kleenex-box-emptying novel based on his life. My family members will enjoy this--shh! Don't want to give away anything. Glenn gave a brief little talk and we shared a heartfelt tear fest about the change that is happening in our United States and how, if the Fairness Doctrine is put back into play (or they sneak in the back door with the localism rules for radio), he won't be there to speak out on behalf of we the people. We have to be our voice and keep our Constitution from losing its underpinnings. I feel these being knocked out one by one with the bail outs of all troubled companies....capitalism needs to be shored up. I pray we can continue with the free enterprise that made our country the economic and democratic model for the world. I read today that people living in the EU realize how fortunate we've been and how socialistic modeling just doesn't work in the long run. Back to the Glenn Beck tour: Tom and I were #231 and #232 because Tom made the hour drive up that morning to secure our places in line. We were in front of Glenn within about 15 minutes---he is a speedy one when it comes to signing. Right before we walked away, I impulsively reached over and gave him a big hug. [Southern people do that spontaneously. Not much about me shocks Tom anymore.] I whispered in Glenn's ear that we were the Tom and Vicki of the pitchfork lapel pin...the ones who had probably annoyed and bugged him for a while! There was an aha! moment, then he said the pins are great. I don't know where he gets his energy---I think he runs on adrenaline most of the time. He was in five cities from Tennessee to south Florida on Saturday! It's late and I'm heading for home tomorrow for Thanksgiving with my wonderful family. Tom has learned that, while there is an overwhelming crowd, the food is always good and the people are always loving, friendly, and welcoming. After all, it's the Jessiehouse family and we're eating the best of the best recipes from the Jessiehouse, Georgia cookbook. I'll write more on that later.By the way, if you haven't taken the time to read Old Faithful's comment to the November 20 post, please do. Thanks to him and his son for serving in our military. We are free to enjoy this Thanksgiving because of those two and many others like them. Say thanks when you see someone in uniform. Treat them to lunch if they're in line in front of you at Mickey D's. They are God's special messengers to protect and keep this wonderful country safe. We should be ever so appreciative. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend. And, if you are in Georgia, please make sure you vote for Saxby Chambliss. I'm for the filibuster and don't feel that either party should have a filibuster-proof Senate. It limits our freedoms. We need Saxby to ensure that doesn't happen.
From Vicki:I have a couple of Bradford pear trees in my yard on my neighbor's side of my driveway. These trees shot up quickly over the past decade and are absolutely gorgeous in the spring. But my neighbors had me concerned: they remembered how fragile a Bradford pear can be, for they had one that split during a wind storm. Tom trimmed off some branches a couple of years ago to help relieve the top-heaviness. Still I worried about a strong wind ripping through the trees so I had them topped this past summer. Within a couple of weeks we had one of those fast-moving micro bursts. A neighbor three doors down lost a very large Bradford pear that split right down the middle. I was so thankful to have taken preventative measures. I've since paid particular attention to the beautiful pears with their fall colors, especially the ones that have the beginning of a split among the leggy limbs. Tree topping is frowned upon. I understand this. My Bradford pears looked like newly-shaven poodles. There was very little green left after the landscaper went into the center of the trees and pruned from the inside out, precisely at the place where the trees would split. These were ugly [understatement ugly!] trees for a couple of months until the leaves came back. They are still in that awkward middle school stage. I have high hopes for next spring. Tonight I heard Glenn Beck talking about our Constitution. He indicated it was at a fragile place where it could split in two unless we the people say, "No! We won't allow that to happen!" Sometimes repairs need to be made to strengthen or shore up the foundations. It's like opening a wound. There's nothing pretty about it, yet it has to be opened carefully so it heals the right way.Are we at that place with our United States Constitution? My son said, "George Washington is probably looking down on us and asking, 'what have you done with my country?'" He's got a point. What have we done? Or, better yet, have we been complacent and what haven't we done? We really do take our country for granted. Until there is a ground swell of emotional Americans who take up the cause to keep our Constitution as the foundation...God blessed us with these United States. We need to protect and respect what we've been given. Prayers, mighty prayers, can help a crumbling foundation or a fragile tree that is trying to split apart. God can heal our nation if we'll allow Him. God Bless America!
From Vicki:I was listening to Glenn Beck this morning and he mentioned people voting for the candidate who offered the free stuff. (this is paraphrasing.) He played an audio of a woman in Florida who had just been to an Obama rally. She was excited beyond belief because of all Obama wants to do for her. Well, I'm here to admit: I've already voted and it was for the free stuff. You betcha! No, not for free gas for my car or a free mortgage or free groceries. That can be purchased today. What I voted for was purchased 200 years ago with the courage, strength, and lives of our founding fathers. And all of that free stuff I voted for has been free to me all my life: it's the free stuff we have in our great Constitution, thanks to those who cared enough and were forward thinking enough to write a document that has transcended the generations. Many of us take it for granted, though we still care about this free stuff and do not want to have a United States that is not representative of these freedoms. God gave those founding fathers such wisdom to want a Christian nation, a democratic republic. When you vote, think about voting for the free stuff to keep it free, because it hasn't always been that way. McCain-Palin 2008. They love our country and are eager to serve we the people. Just ask Glenn Beck about the Constitution. He's been a we the people supporter for a long time.
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