Tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery, Author Andrew Bossi (CC BY-SA 2.5 Generic)
The “greatest generation” is a term journalist, Tom Brokaw, popularized in his book by the same name. The term refers to the men and women raised during the Depression who went on to fight World War II, in great and obscure battlefields across the globe and on the home front.
That generation, rapidly fading now, was defined by the obstacles it faced. Too often, the generations since – however we may label them – have been defined by self-indulgence, greed, apathy, and the harm they will leave behind.
Wars may be won or lost by weapons and generals. Those with servicemen and servicewomen in their families know it is the corporals and privates who bleed. They are standing guard in nameless locations even now. Ever vigilant, willing to give their lives for ours. Read more…
America’s birthday is not far off. This one will be her 237th. She can’t plead the ignorance of youth as a defense any longer. Has she just settled into the malaise – read political gridlock – of middle age or is she past her prime? Have the ideals on which she was founded been abandoned as childish and unrealistic? It very nearly seems that way sometimes.
First Amendment
Extensive phone records of the Associated Press have been seized by the Justice Department. No irony there. The phone and online traffic of millions of ordinary Americans have been similarly monitored, if not mined for content by the National Security Agency. We are informed this impingement on privacy is necessary, if Americans are to remain safe from terrorism. Who will safeguard us from tyranny is a different matter.
Another of the government’s most powerful agencies, the Internal Revenue Service, admittedly delayed the processing of nonprofit applications based upon their political affiliation. While it now seems there was no express directive to this effect from the White House, the course of action was evidently undertaken without a second thought by those engaged in it.
Complicated World
No doubt about it, this is a complicated world. With credible evidence of the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad against his own people in the Syrian civil war, America will be arming anti-government forces. Who may ultimately gain access to such weapons is uncertain. Weapons America provided to aid the Afghans in repelling their Soviet occupiers later fell into the hands of the Taliban. Read more…
Interstellar Dust Clouds in the Constellation Orion, Photo by Stephan Messner, Source http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051104.html
“He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning, And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name” (Amos 5: 8).
Lord Jesus, who is there like unto You? The very heavens sing Your praises.
Nothing is beyond You. No one we might follow could be as worthy. Nothing in which we might place our confidence could be as secure.
Pour Your spirit out on us, Lord, as You once poured out the waters of the sea. Help us to hate evil, love good, and establish justice in Your name.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Photo by lilivanili, Source “The Fire Within” http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilivanili/2085439598/ (CC BY 2.0 Generic)
Darkness is merely the relative absence of light. Without sufficient light, the specialized rod and cone cells in our eyes cannot distinguish wavelength or frequency.
Temporarily deprived of sight, we may feel anxious or fearful. We search out street lights at night. Women walk faster than usual, keys in hand, their bags clutched tightly under one arm.
But darkness is, also, an invisibility cloak. We may well feel liberated – free to reveal our darkest secrets to a stranger or do in the dark what we might not care to have revealed at noon. The number of fatal auto accidents rises at night. Crime rates rise at night. Read more…
A Chunk of Silver, Photo from”Minerals of the World” Project of US Geological Survey and Mineral Information Institute, Source US Federal Govt.
Mentioned in the Book of Genesis, silver has long been prized. Slag heaps in Anatolia attest that this precious metal has been separated from lead since the Bronze Age.
Refining is the method of removing impurities from the metal. It is important not to overheat silver in the refining process. This requires close attention to the molten metal. While overheating will not destroy silver, it can make the metal unworkable.
Temperatures as high as 1450 degrees Fahrenheit are necessary to vaporize impurities which then form on the surface of the silver as dross. Purified molten silver will shine with a mirror-like quality when ready to pour.
Refiner’s fire is often used as a metaphor for spiritual purification in the Bible.
David described God as having “tested us…refined us as silver is refined” (Ps. 66: 10). The prophet, Isaiah, spoke of God as purging out dross, and removing all alloy (Is. 1: 25). We are told by Malachi that the Messiah in the last days “will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Mal. 3: 3). Read more…
US Navy Mechanic Airman and Machinist’s Mate at Work on a Seahawk Helicopter, Photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Patrick L. Heil, Source US Navy (ID 060620-N-3946H-074)
We are surrounded by those rendering service. Mechanics, cleaning women, deli clerks, tow truck operators, building superintendents. The list is endless. Often times these people are “invisible” to us. Yet they personify grace.
CS Lewis wrote in Christian Reflections: “Most men must glorify God by doing to His glory something which is not per se an act of glorifying but which becomes so by being offered…The work of the charwoman and the work of the poet become spiritual in the same way and on the same condition.”
” ‘Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice…’ ” ( Matt. 12: 8).
Lord Jesus, teach us to be servants, as You were a Servant. Teach us to recognize and appreciate the service of others.
We offer You our work this day. May it be pleasing in Your sight.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Illustration from “The Nightingale” by Hans Christian Andersen (1900), University of Connecticut Libraries, Author Internet Archive Book Images, Source Flickr (Art-PD l Old-100)
The nightingale is a migratory songbird native to Europe and Southwest Asia. Not a beautiful bird, the nightingale is brown above and light below, with a reddish tail.
Despite its drab appearance, the nightingale sings liltingly, day and night. The bird’s ancient name derives, in fact, from the Anglo-Saxon for “night songstress”.
It is actually the male bird that sings. Not to be outdone, nightingales sing more loudly in urban environments, presumably to offset competing noise.
Nightingales have inspired poets, musicians, and sweethearts since time immemorial. The great poet, John Milton, wrote of the nightingale in Paradise Lost: “…as the wakeful Bird Sings darkling, and in shadiest Covert hid Tunes her nocturnal Note [1].”
“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me — a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps. 42: 8).
Father, we seek You out as deep calls unto deep. Our hearts were made to long for You. Yet when the waves roll over us, we fear at times we are lost.
Forgive our lack of faith, Father. How can we doubt when You sent us Your Son?
Your mercies are unending. Your beauty surrounds us. We will hope in You and praise Your name…as does the humble nightingale.
Amen
—
[1] This quote can be found in Book III of Paradise Lost, at lines 38-39.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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“St. Francis of Assisi with Birds and Animals”, Stained Glass Window at Church of St. Mary’s Halstock, Photo by Sarah Smith, Source Geograph Project geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
“…Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day…
Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens You have made them, precious and beautiful.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures sustenance…”
– From Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi, that most humble of men, was born into comfort. The son of a well-to-do merchant, Francis might have led a life of ease. His father feared Francis would squander his life on self-indulgence.
Instead, Francis founded an Order of monks sworn to abject poverty. He died without worldly goods, bearing the stigmata of Christ, and radiant with joy.
But we are not all born to be friars. How then are we to find our way in the world? How can we distinguish God’s call on our lives from personal ambition or – worse yet – restlessness because the going has gotten rough or the task assigned us has become stale?
What do we do when confronted by that inevitable fork in the road?
There is no formula for holiness…or happiness, for that matter. We are bound to wrestle with God as Jacob did. The limitations of this earthly world dictate as much, since we are meant for another. Between our present location and that ultimate destination lies the road we travel, the life we choose – pitfalls, failures, triumphs, and all.
If we are to live for Christ, we must first know who He is and what He wants from us. The Lord, Himself, told us that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14: 6). He said that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind; that the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22: 37-40).
So Christians are to love…even their enemies (Matt. 5: 44). That sounds deceptively simple. How does it look in action? How can we best exemplify Christ to others? Certainly not by false piety or an air of self-righteousness. Those masks will be burned off by the first real trial we face. Read more…
First baby of the New Year at Calggett Mem’l Hospital (1973), Author David Hiser of EPA, Source National Archives and Records Administration (Identifier 552638) (PD as work of fed. govt.)
There is evidence to suggest that babies can recognize the faces of their mothers within weeks of birth. At first the baby’s vision is only clear enough to let him see his mother’s face as he is feeding. By 6 months of age, however, the baby will be able to pick his mother’s photo out of a group.
It is our mother’s face we seek out. Hers is the approval for which we first yearn. She is the source of our sustenance – both physical and emotional. Not only does she feed, burp, and change us. She bathes, powders, dresses, soothes, tickles, carries, and cuddles us.
She sings us lullabies. She reads to us. She ties our shoes, then teaches us how. She tells us why the sky is blue. She sacrifices for us, and keeps us from harm.
In this relationship, we can see reflected our relationship with God. Read more…
Miners Just Leaving the Elevator Shaft of Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Mine #4, Photo by Jack Corn for EPA, Source National Archives and Records Administration (NAI 556340)
Coal mines have been active in Pennsylvania since the late 1700s. Despite advances, coal mining remains enormously dangerous work. The ravages of Black Lung Disease persist, as does the struggle for occupational benefits.
Though surface mining has increasingly become the trend, we remain the voice for such people – those daily giving up their lives for others, but unable to defend themselves.
What a great privilege God has afforded us as lawyers…and what a great responsibility!
“As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire; its stones are the source of sapphires, and it contains gold dust” (Job 28: 5-6).
Oh, Lord, how great are Your works in all the earth!
Give strength to those who labor with their hands. Give courage to us, that we may speak out for all those without a voice.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed
A Lawyer's Prayers 