How To Grow Our Faith

Sometimes when I think about my faith, I tend to dismiss the practical aspects of this spiritual discipline. It is often been said that faith is like a muscle, but in my opinion the reality is a little more complicated. 

We know from God's Word that faith is something that can grow, one of many examples of this is the story of the father in the gospel of Mark. This father approached Jesus in the hope that He could heal his son. After Jesus told him that all things were possible for those who believe, the father through his anguish and his tears cried out for Jesus to help his unbelief. But this father was not alone in his need, in fact, we are all commanded to live our lives by faith, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17) But how can we grow our faith?

Tech Giants Cry Foul / Who Controls the Truth?

Most would agree that the days we are living are strange and getting stranger. Our republic is suffering from deep fissures and few agree on the most pressing issues, forget about a pathway to unity and healing. One thing is clear, we cannot fix ourselves and without real solutions soon, our country is no longer guaranteed a bright and stable future. 

Today let's examine a couple of issues that are facing our nation and impacting almost everyone on a daily basis.

This news came out of Washington D.C. this week. President Biden accused social media companies of "killing people' by allowing misinformation to be spread on their sites. (He was speaking in regard to Covid-19 information, which in his opinion, was spreading false information throughout the Internet)

Now we'll circle back to the phrase, "in his opinion", in a few moments. But for new let's examine the rather predictable reaction from the leaders of these tech companies - "We are doing the best we can" followed by the refrain, "We are not responsible for all the content on our sites."

The problem is they cannot occupy both sides of this issue . . . 

Jerry Granelli

In honor of Jerry Granelli who was the last surviving member of the Vince Guaraldi Trio. He was probably best known for playing drums on the soundtrack A Charlie Brown Christmas. Check out this video of his performance of "Linus and Lucy" in 2014. He died today at the age of 81.

The Shot Heard 'Round The World

Unveiled on April 19, 1875, The Minute Man statue, by sculptor Daniel Chester French, is an American icon and has stood guard over hallowed ground ever since. It is set near the spot where the first colonial militiamen were killed in Concord on that fateful day in 1775.

The seven foot tall bronze statue was cast from old Civil War cannons by the Ames Foundry of Chicopee Massachusetts. The pedestal base measures over seven feet tall and four feet on each side. Inscribed on the front facing is the first stanza of the poem “The Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world."

Random Thoughts . . .

I think it's so cool that my favorite sport considers their modern era to be anytime after the 1900's. (Baseball)

But I would be less than honest if I didn't admit that my loyalties start to shift as fall approaches and the college football season is just on the horizon.

I wonder who christened the sport, "Football" when only a small percentage of the time do feet even come in contact with the ball?

How many of you have spent any amount of time deconstructing the time / multiple universe theories put forth in Marvel's "Avengers: End Game?"

And why couldn't they simply go into the past and kill Thanos before he grew to adulthood?

I wonder how long Eve stared at the fruit hanging from the forbidden tree before taking a bite? Did she just get bored in paradise and wander over to the one place she wasn't allowed to be? Did she nonchalantly plan her morning walks to draw her closer and closer to that spot? And why did Adam not directly intervene instead of becoming a willing participant?

In the 1998 Home Run Derby there were 10 participants and they hit a total of 82 home runs. Twenty one years later in the 2019 Home Run Derby there were 8 participants and they hit a total of 312 home runs.

I think in 2021 fame is the most desired currency.

And at what cost?

Top 30 TV Shows in 1965

1 Bonanza

2 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

3 The Lucy Show

4 The Red Skelton Hour

5 Batman (Thurs.)

6 The Andy Griffith Show

7 Bewitched

8 The Beverly Hillbillies

9 Hogan's Heroes

10 Batman (Wed.)

11 Green Acres

12 Get Smart

13 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

14 Daktari

15 My Three Sons

16 The Dick Van Dyke Show

17 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color

18 The Ed Sullivan Show

19 The Lawrence Welk Show

20 I've Got a Secret

21 Petticoat Junction

22 Gilligan's Island

23 The Wild Wild West

24 The Jackie Gleason Show

25 The Virginian

26 Daniel Boone

27 Lassie

28 I Dream of Jeannie

29 Flipper

30 Gunsmoke

"The Charter of Our Liberties"

The Declaration of Independence, that proclamation for the ages, that Abraham Lincoln called “the charter of our liberties,” is a document whose meaning, and function today are different from what they were in 1776. In fact, in the years following the end of the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence was almost dismissed from the thoughts of early Americans, as if the document had accomplished its one and only purpose. 

But that all changed following the War of 1812. The Declaration of Independence took upon new meaning in a nation that had just been rudely reminded of the fragility of its republic. A new generation of Americans had come of age and they made preservation of the nation’s revolutionary history their mission. Those efforts, and their reverential attitude toward the revolutionaries and their works, helped establish the Declaration of Independence as an important icon of American identity.

Lee and Longstreet at Gettysburg

Growing up in the South in the 60's, the "Lost Cause" theory was generally treated as fact. To embrace the Southern mythology was to perceive the romantic and discard the reality. Though that is clearer now, back in my childhood, and seeing that General Robert E. Lee and I shared the same last name, my pride and affection rested in the shadow of my hero. Also, a major component of the "LC" theory was that if the Confederates had possessed anywhere near the resources and manpower of the Union, the war would have been over by 1863. The belief being that the South had superior military commanders, better soldiers, who fought with  passion and valor, (in great part because they were fighting on their home soil), and the majority of their citizens were embedded with the fire of the righteous. That is still up for debate. But what is not up for debate is the fact that the South could have won the war in 1863, if not for the horrific mistakes by Southern commanders at Gettysburg.