Happy Birthday, America!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife.

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine, Till all success be nobleness, And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

that sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea!

BLESSINGS: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Gift of The Father

Pillar. Strength. Legacy.

Fathers are a gift from our Heavenly Father! Through him we form our identity, by him we are encouraged to take the leap, in him we find authority, wisdom, and strength, and because of him we walk in the shadow of his legacy.

Fatherhood is a tremendous responsibility that can make or break a family; exude light or darkness; restore or destroy; and, discipline or doesn’t care. If led by The Father, a father is our example, leader, light, and encourager.

I am grateful that I have been raised by a God-fearing father, and surrounded by a brother, brother-in-law, and nephews who are awesome fathers. May you feel special, be honored, stay blessed, and glory in the fact that you are indeed a gift to us from The Father. You are loved and honored!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Blessings: "Every Good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

Sweet Land of Liberty!

I'm PROUD to be an AMERICAN,

where at least I know I'm FREE;

I won't forget the men/women,

who DIED and gave that right to me;

I'll gladly stand up next to you and DEFEND her to the end,

For there ain't no doubt I LOVE this land,

God BLESS the USA!

My country 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of LIBERTY, of thee I sing,

Land where my fathers died, Let FREEDOM ring!

Our Father's God to thee,

author of LIBERTY, to thee we sing.

Long may our land be BRIGHT, with FREEDOM's HOLY light,

PROTECT us by THY MIGHT, Great God, our King!

BLESSINGS: "...and these stones shall be for a memorial..." Joshua 4:7

Happy Mother's Day!

MEMORANDUM TO:  The Matriarch of the Family

FROM:  A Heart Full of Love and Gratitude

DATE: Mother's Day, 2009

SUBJECT:  A Happy and Blessed Mother's Day!

This is a day of honor; a day when we acknowledge the greatness of God's gift to all humankind! You are the essence of what it means to be created in the image of God--living in FAITH, giving HOPE, and demonstrating LOVE! And, the greatest of these is LOVE! 

When the Lord divinely appoints one to motherhood, He has chosen a vessel who has the ability to: 

• Love unconditionally (heart), 
• Impart wisdom (mind),
  
• Egregiously defend with all that is within you (core of your soul),
  
• Train, teach, discipline (spiritual),
  
• Nurture the wounds with affection and care-and our little pets, too (physical) 
• Create joy, happiness, laughter, and tears (emotional)
• Endure sacrifices (humility),
• Gracefully deal with death and exhibit strength (loss),
• Exercise good judgment (strength and conviction), and
• Enjoy the fruits of her labor (honor). 

As a mother, your demonstration of these attributes have contributed to the success of the people, who, in turn, now rise and call you blessed, praise your worth, honor you, and who stand on your shoulders--for you are the giant who has elevated and encouraged us; and not just we - your children - but those to whom you pastor, counsel, and befriend.

Thank you, with gratitude, for all that you are and for being the person, along with dad, who anchored the family [and church] through the storms; lifted up the family when we were down; cried with the family when the going got tough; taught the family to love GOD; and rejoiced with the family [and church] when the Lord blessed with abundance! 

Thank you for "turning the world on with your smile, and taking a nothing day, and making it all seem worthwhile!"

Because of you and dad, our FAITH is strong, we know our HOPE is eternal, and we have a greater understanding and have experienced God's LOVE demonstrated through you! 

You're the greatest!

Happy Mother's Day! 

I LOVE you!

BLESSINGS: "Her children arise up and call her blessed: her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:28

Day of Prayer

Our Father, 

who art in heaven

hallowed be thy Name, 

thy kingdom come, 

thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day

our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those 

who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, 

and the power, 

and the glory, 

for ever and ever. 

Amen.

Resurrection! Raise The Praise!

THE VIA DOLOROSA: a journey full of rejection, hatred, and torture.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem from Bethany preparing to meet with His apostles for The Last Supper-communion. He consoles them and informs them of the foreordained plan.

He contines to the Garden of Gethsemane to kneel and pray. His agony was so great that his sweat was as it were great drops of blood.

After His arrest, he was brought to the Place of the High Priest and stood before Caiaphas and the Council. He was adjured to tell the truth, and He did;. however, He was falsely accused of blasphemy--there were no objections, no plea's, no attorneys--He was charged as "guilty" and sentenced to death.

He was escorted to Pontius Pilate's Judgment Hall labeled as a criminal; he was defamed and charged with treason. Pontius Pilate studied the facts and claimed Him to be innocent. Rage ensued, as Jesus was a Galilean, and by law, He was "claimed innocent" in the wrong jurisdiction. Pontius Pilate issued an Order for Change of Venue and sent Him to King Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem at that time.

Herod questioned Christ, but our Lord remained silent. He was mocked and sent back to Pilate. Pilate affirmed that he thought Christ to be innocent. After much protest, Pilate yielded to the fear of man and temptation, and sentenced our Lord to death.

From the Judgment Hall, He was given His cross to bear en route to the Hill of Golgotha, the place of Calvary, to be crucified.

Nails were pounded into his flesh - a crown of thorns was forced to fit his skull - his thirst was quenched with vinegar. "Forgive them for they know what they do!"

IT IS FINISHED!

The sky turned dark at the sixth hour, and at the ninth hour he died. The veil in the temple was ripped in the midst, the earth began to quake, the rocks broke apart, and graves were opened. This moment gave birth to mourning and travail for transgressions.

On the third day, the stone was rolled away and the angels announced His resurrection!

CALVARY: a destination that gives us hope and eternal life. Raise the Praise! He's alive and well with Resurrection power!

BLESSINGS: "He is not here, but is risen...." Luke 22: 6

HOSANNA!

"Hosanna  to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; 

Hosanna in the highest. 

And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

And the multitude said, 

This is JESUS the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

Matthew 21:9-11

Til Death Do Us Part....

Today is a bittersweet day! 

With great joy, on February 26th, my father married my mother. 

With great sadness, forty-two years later on February 26th, the Lord called my father to his Heavenly Home and my mother buried my father. 

Happy 'Bittersweet' Anniversary...

BLESSINGS: "None of us can hold back our Spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death." Ecclesiastes 8:8

On This Day, A Soldier Has Fallen...

One never fully recovers from losing a loved one. When my father exhaled his last earthly breath and consumed the essence of eternal Living and Healing Waters 18 years ago today, it was a bittersweet, stand-still moment. For we knew that we would no longer feel the embrace of his loving, fatherly arms, nor warmly welcome the Sunday morning kisses on our (his daughters') cheeks when he stepped off the pulpit from preaching the Word. But, we were keenly aware that He was now Walking Up The King's Highway...his favorite song and one in which he made us all sing on the pulpit from time to time, as a family. I hated it then, but sure do miss it now!

May we never forget our heritage (Psalms 16:6) and the loved ones who demonstrated the greatness of God, defined His consuming love and comfort, encouraged us to live with His Joy, and taught us to lean on His everlasting arms! That's impact!

We love and miss you, our wonderful and loving husband/dad/grandpa/pastor/friend--our spiritual pillar!

...Soon and very soon...

BLESSINGS: "And the King said unto His servants, Know ye not that there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" II Samuel 3:38

President's Day Blog Bliz

Happy President's Day "Blog Bliz" (aka quiz)!

(Googled from the President's Day Home Page)

Answer with True or False

1) Presidents' Day is celebrated the third Monday in February.

2) It honors two great presidents, President Washington and President Clinton.

3) President Washington was the first American President.

4) President Washington is the only President to have a state named after him.

5) President Lincoln's first name was George.

6) Pictures of both Presidents heads can be found on U.S. banknotes.

7) President Linocoln wrote the U.S. Constitution.

8) Both Presidents were assassinated.

9) President Lincoln helped end slavery in the United States.

10) President Washington was born on February 9th.

(Answers available in the comments - just click comments below.)

BLESSINGS: "I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day." II Timothy 1:3

A New Beginning!

(Image courtesy of Google)

It's Inauguration Day!

It started @ 5:00 a.m. I found myself on the National Mall @ 5:45 a.m. shivering for the next 12 hours....on my feet!

I stood with people from all walks of life, different cultures, and from all nations, ready to witness the historical moment of our first African-American President of the United States of America being sworn into the most powerful position of the free world. The swelling crowd was respectful of each other's discomfort (cold, tired, and hungry); they were joyfully tearful of the realization that a vision has come to fruition; and we were all inspired by the speech, "A New Birth of Freedom".

Rev. Rick Warren led an anointed Invocation--except when he called out little S A S H A's name in slow motion, as if he were narrating a segment for The Lion King....Saaaashhhhaahh! He sagaciously prayed that President Obama "be given wisdom to lead with humility, courage to lead with integrity, and compassion to lead with generosity." Love that!

Areatha delivered a soul-stirring rendition of My Country Tis of Thee! We all stood in awe, along with Oprah, P. Diddy, and Govenor Schwarzenegger, as we transformed into hyper-patriotic peeps digesting every word to that traditional tune.

The thunderous and overwhelming response following Chief Justice Roberts administration of the oath of office, reminded all of us of a new day; a new beginning; and an opportunity to "...put away childish things", as quoted by our newly-elected President Obama.

It was an exhilarating AND exhausting day! It was a grand time full of historic moments; one of which will be etched in my memory. Former President Bush and Laura took in their last panoramic view of DC - from their helicopter - while disrespectful "boo's" echoed throughout the National Mall, deferring to "put away those childish things." In an emotional moment, I reflected on the past eight years of his presidency, particularly the devastation of 911 and how it changed our nation. I saluted toward the 'copter and thought to myself, it is indeed "A New Beginning For All!"

May God Bless America; Land That I Love!

BLESSINGS: "Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth...." Isaiah 43:18, 19

A Thanksgiving Cornucopia

From Plymouth Rock in 1620 to The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 2008...We still eat birds, corn, pumpkin (pie), and celebrate the blessings of God's abundance...in the form of a parade, perhaps! (Oh, be mindful of the runaway Macy's M&M balloon, Peeps.) ow. 

This particular blog is indeed a cornucopia of T'giving stuff, as in, no REAL train of thought on anything. Come on, who can think when turkey-trimming scents are wafting from the kitchen causing my tummy to orchestrate it's own hungry choir of growls-n-gurgles?

THANKSGIVING IS:

Beautiful table settings,

Grandma's gold-trimmed special china,

Family: laughter, sharing, teasing, opinions, games, more laughing (and eating...burp)!,

Entering into His gates with THANKSGIVING,

Turkey and trimmings,

Macy's Parade and pop-up books,

1620's Plymouth Rock,

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,

Family Football,

Volunteering to serve the homeless,

Pilgrims, 

And, FAMILY BLESSINGS...

Dad's spunk (and leadership) - Mama's determination (and gracefulness) - Dr. Clyde's wisdom - Gary's provision - Pretzel's humor - Marcia's talent - Maryanne's generosity - Faith's creativity - Sharon's ideas - My goofiness - Mark's teasing - Jonathan's heart - David's ambition - Sarah's domesticity - Susan's courage - Jared's strength - Kiwi's sparkle - Katie's giggles - Maddy's silliness - Melissa's feistiness - Andrew's little smirk; our family cornucopia! 

May you be BLESSED. May you be a BLESSING. And, GIVE THANKS for His bountiful BLESSINGS, my Dear Peeps! 

PS. Hats off  to all the culinary experts!

BLESSINGS: "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor." Proverbs 22: 9 (Lord, bless those less fortunate than me. May you meet them at their point of need! Amen.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HONORING OUR VETERANS

Today we THANK and HONOR those who served in the military.

I think back to the passion with which my daddy would speak regarding his WWII experiences and tragedies. He enlisted at the age of 17 (the government overlooked his age because they were desperate for men, and he could interpret Russian.) He would speak as though he was in the moment, on the frontline, gun in hand, crawling through the damp and hilly terrain, fearful that the bullet sounds blasting through the air and whizzing by his ear - on the banks of the Rhine River in Germany - would eventually take his life.

(Pictures of my father in the army tank, the army tent, and gun-in-hand.)

When he looked to his left, his comrade laid lifeless. As he tried to revive this noble soldier, he made an emotional covenant with God (and accepted his pastoral calling), that if God would spare his own life, he would serve the Lord with all his heart, mind and soul. His best friend had succumbed to to the cold and cruel realities of war, but, my daddy, at that moment, became an honorable soldier of WWII, and an anointed soldier of the Cross; preaching the Word of God! 

WE HONOR YOU - OUR NOBLE VETERANS!

BLESSINGS: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." II Timothy 4: 7, 8

CAST YOUR BALLOT!

Someone is about to make history...

You decide!

BLESSINGS: "Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people." Isaiah 55: 4

BOO!

BLESSINGS: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." II Thessolonians 2:8-10

It's Kandy Korn Day!

aka National Cavity Day!

DIDJA KNOW?

• October 30th is National Candy Corn Day!
  
• One serving of Candy Corn contains about 140 calories!
  
• Candy Corn is not just for Halloween anymore. There is Reindeer Corn for Christmas, Cupid Corn for Valentine's Day (I would like some of these, please!), and Bunny Corn for Easter!

BLESSINGS:"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." Psalms 119: 103

Don't forget to brush your teeth!

UNITED NATIONS DAY?

WHO KNEW?

I'm a  day late, but I couldn't ignore this little trivia nugget that I googled...United Nation's Day!

BTW: The flag depicts the world held in the "olive branches of peace."

WHO? There are currently 192 members of the United Nations.

WHAT? The UN brings all nations of the world together and is based on the principles of justice, human dignity, and the well-being of all people - - balancing interdependence and national interests.

WHEN? UN Day is celebrated around the world on October 24th and came into existence in October of 1945.

WHERE? The UN building is located in NYC - tours are available - Let's go, Peeps! You know me....I love travel and anything global, cultural, and international! But, first stop is Macy's on 34th and Carnegie Deli for lunch (celeb hang-out)! 

WHY? The UN promotes PEACE and development.

BLESSINGS: "Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of  hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord."  Zechariah 8: 22

HAPPY BOSS' DAY!

Okay, so it's really "I'm gonna-brown-nose-my-boss-with-gifts" day! It is! 

But, I can't complain as I nibble on my choco turtles, enjoy my mylar balloons dancing in the air, and smell the floral fragrance of my flowers from all 120 of my emps. I LOVE bosses day! Thank you - I'm blessed!

My prayer is that the Lord grant all the bosses and pastors of the world, wisdom, strength, ability, and anointing to do what we have been called to do in this season of our lives - - and, to bless our bosses, parents, pastors, mentors, and leaders (and, in my case, Judges!)

Biblical Policies and Procedures (and Blessings): "And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord:

• to walk after the Lord, 
  
• and to keep his commandments, 
  
• and his testimonies, 
  
• and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, 
  
• to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book." 
• and, other duties as assigned. (I added this one!)  :-)

(oops - forgot to look at the chapter and verse.) I'm gonna delegate...If you know where this is found in scripture, team-players, please report back ASAP! Many Thanks!

SHIP AHOY!

Columbus Day! It is the celebration and a day to honor Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas in 1492. The continent, however, was named after the Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Am I right, Dr. Root? (...professor of american history and, uh, my bro-in-law.)

Today is a commemorative reminder - or would that be a sober reminder - of America's progression - or digression. That depends on whether your glass is half-empty or half-full.

Today, I can blog, work-out, and visit Starbuckles, at any time of the day. If you work for the Fed Gov, you know what Columbus Day really means....a day off!!! So as I cruise over the Potomac and around the National monuments, with starbucks in hand, I will reflect on the beginnings of our great country and say a prayer for the impending decisions of my fellow Americans that will impact the future and  course of our nation, in a few weeks.

One thing is certain - - we can still proclaim,

"IN GOD WE TRUST!"

BLESSINGS: "Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." Pslams 40:4

My Prayer:

May God continue to bless America!

OKTOBERFEST!

GUTEN MORGEN,

Don'tcha LOVE October...the bookfairs, fall foilage road trips, Pumpkin Spice Lattes sprinkled with cinnamon,  and.......OKTOBERFEST!!!

This pic (courtesy of google) is my version of OKTOBERFEST....giggling pumpkins drunk with root beer, jovial scarecrows,  candy corn and popcorn balls dancing on my tastebuds, and sassy ghosts getting jiggy wit' it, chanting joyful (and spooky) jingles.

  

Enjoy this Bavarian season, my festive peeps! 

Auf  Wiedersehen!

(Goodbye!)

GESUNDHEIT (BLESSINGS):  "...and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:4

PS  I met someone from Germany on the elevator this morning. When I inquired with a jolly, "Wie Geht es Ihnen (how are you)?" (...keeping with the theme, jaknow!), they responded with a BIG, Russian, 

"NYET!" 

***I hope an acorn bops him in the head!***    :-O