Sunday, October 30, 2005
Song of Harvest
A favorite hymn came to mind today. I hadn't heard this one in Church for a long time, ever since I was a child growing up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I remember memorizing the words for this hymn during choir practice when I was 10 years old. We sang this one every fall:
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God's Almighty Hand.
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all his love.
We thank thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food.
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But what thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
I like contemporay Christian music, but for me, there is nothing which compares to the old traditionals. The words from this hymn still evoke powerful memories for me and remind me of God's wonderful providence in my life. Living and dealing with everyday issues, it is easy to forget the blessings of the past. As the years pass, I find myself increasingly less introspective -- perhaps I have less time now than when I was younger, perhaps I am caught up with the practicalities of life (work, family, finances), perhaps a little of both. It is good to look back once in a while to the road I have travelled and realize that I am truly thankful for all of His wonderful and miraculous gifts in my life.
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God's Almighty Hand.
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all his love.
We thank thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food.
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But what thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
I like contemporay Christian music, but for me, there is nothing which compares to the old traditionals. The words from this hymn still evoke powerful memories for me and remind me of God's wonderful providence in my life. Living and dealing with everyday issues, it is easy to forget the blessings of the past. As the years pass, I find myself increasingly less introspective -- perhaps I have less time now than when I was younger, perhaps I am caught up with the practicalities of life (work, family, finances), perhaps a little of both. It is good to look back once in a while to the road I have travelled and realize that I am truly thankful for all of His wonderful and miraculous gifts in my life.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Sunday Blessings
When morning gilds the skies, my heart awakening cries,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus, I repair
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song, through all the ages long
May Jesus Christ be praised!
It is another lovely Sunday here in Cary, North Carolina. The sun was out in full force this morning as I took my 2 boys to Church while my wife was working.
The Pastor made some interesting comments on the passage from the story of the Prodigal Son. When he left home, the prodigal said to his father, "GIVE ME my share of your inheritance." This request was both insulting and hurtful to the father in those times, since the prodigal implied that the father had lived too long and that his inheritance was overdue; further, the only value he placed on the father was the inheritance.
After the prodigal had wasted all of his inheritance and his friends abandoned him, he took a job tending swine -- probably the lowliest job for a Jew since pigs were considered unclean. The Bible implies that although he wanted to eat the husks fed to the swine, the farmer refused him, since this was food designated for the animals.
When the prodigal came to his senses, he realized that he needed to ask of his father, "MAKE ME like one of your servants."
When the prodigal returns home with the intention to make this request of his father, the ever-loving, all-forgiving father doesn't even give him the chance to ask. In fact, the son doesn't even reach the house, since the father runs out to greet him as he approaches. The son only asks forgiveness, before the father immediately gives him a robe and ring, and restores him fully to the family. All that our Heavenly Father asks is that we acknowledge our sin and ask forgiveness, and all the rest He will provide.
The pastor's point was that too often we live today demanding from God to "give me" this or that, when our correct position should be to surrender and ask God to "make me" the person He wants me to be. In our materialistic mindset, we measure God by what he gives us, when in truth, we should be in a state of surrender, asking him to do his will in our lives.
It has been a great day and a great blessing to be reminded of these life-changing truths.
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus, I repair
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song, through all the ages long
May Jesus Christ be praised!
It is another lovely Sunday here in Cary, North Carolina. The sun was out in full force this morning as I took my 2 boys to Church while my wife was working.
The Pastor made some interesting comments on the passage from the story of the Prodigal Son. When he left home, the prodigal said to his father, "GIVE ME my share of your inheritance." This request was both insulting and hurtful to the father in those times, since the prodigal implied that the father had lived too long and that his inheritance was overdue; further, the only value he placed on the father was the inheritance.
After the prodigal had wasted all of his inheritance and his friends abandoned him, he took a job tending swine -- probably the lowliest job for a Jew since pigs were considered unclean. The Bible implies that although he wanted to eat the husks fed to the swine, the farmer refused him, since this was food designated for the animals.
When the prodigal came to his senses, he realized that he needed to ask of his father, "MAKE ME like one of your servants."
When the prodigal returns home with the intention to make this request of his father, the ever-loving, all-forgiving father doesn't even give him the chance to ask. In fact, the son doesn't even reach the house, since the father runs out to greet him as he approaches. The son only asks forgiveness, before the father immediately gives him a robe and ring, and restores him fully to the family. All that our Heavenly Father asks is that we acknowledge our sin and ask forgiveness, and all the rest He will provide.
The pastor's point was that too often we live today demanding from God to "give me" this or that, when our correct position should be to surrender and ask God to "make me" the person He wants me to be. In our materialistic mindset, we measure God by what he gives us, when in truth, we should be in a state of surrender, asking him to do his will in our lives.
It has been a great day and a great blessing to be reminded of these life-changing truths.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Two Days in October
I saw an extremely interesting program on PBS a couple of nights ago, called "Two Days in October". It recounts two fascinating incidents which occurred on the same day (October 17-18, 1967) which vividly illustrate how polarizing the war in Vietnam was in the U.S. at that time.
One incident occurs in the jungles of Vietnam where 140-some members of the renowned Black Lions of the U.S. army are led into battle, intent on increasing their body count of Viet Cong. Tragically, they are ambushed by a VC force of more than 1400; the VC troops annihilate the U.S. troops, killing about 1/2 the group and injuring just about everyone else. In the aftermath, the U.S. government deceitfully portrays the ambush, as a great setback for the enemy.
The other incident happens on the same day at the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Students protesting the war stage a sit-in at a campus building and the nervous chancellor calls in the Wisconsin police to break up the protest. The students are unhappy that Dow Chemical, the company producing napalm for the U.S. government, is coming to recruit on-campus. The 30 police officers proceed to brutally attack the unarmed students with clubs and physical beating, along with using tear gas. One student onlooker described the incident as the most brutal and violent she had ever witnessed in her life. Subsequently, the university creates the impression that the incident was totally the fault of the students.
The entire story is told through interviews with the participants of these incidents (no narrator). What I found very compelling were the deep emotions engendered in Americans by the war, both for those at home and in Southeast Asia. Even after almost 40 years, the survivors/participants choke up when recalling what happened. The U.S. soldiers felt they were fulfilling their duty by serving in Vietnam -- the result of the incident was that they became much more cynical about the war and its purpose. The students also felt that they were fulfilling their duty as citizens in a democracy to protest what they perceived to be an unjust war. They felt betrayed by University officials and students who were originally neutral or supportive of the war became anti-war.
I found the entire program gripping and it increased my appreciation of those tumultuous times.
One incident occurs in the jungles of Vietnam where 140-some members of the renowned Black Lions of the U.S. army are led into battle, intent on increasing their body count of Viet Cong. Tragically, they are ambushed by a VC force of more than 1400; the VC troops annihilate the U.S. troops, killing about 1/2 the group and injuring just about everyone else. In the aftermath, the U.S. government deceitfully portrays the ambush, as a great setback for the enemy.
The other incident happens on the same day at the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Students protesting the war stage a sit-in at a campus building and the nervous chancellor calls in the Wisconsin police to break up the protest. The students are unhappy that Dow Chemical, the company producing napalm for the U.S. government, is coming to recruit on-campus. The 30 police officers proceed to brutally attack the unarmed students with clubs and physical beating, along with using tear gas. One student onlooker described the incident as the most brutal and violent she had ever witnessed in her life. Subsequently, the university creates the impression that the incident was totally the fault of the students.
The entire story is told through interviews with the participants of these incidents (no narrator). What I found very compelling were the deep emotions engendered in Americans by the war, both for those at home and in Southeast Asia. Even after almost 40 years, the survivors/participants choke up when recalling what happened. The U.S. soldiers felt they were fulfilling their duty by serving in Vietnam -- the result of the incident was that they became much more cynical about the war and its purpose. The students also felt that they were fulfilling their duty as citizens in a democracy to protest what they perceived to be an unjust war. They felt betrayed by University officials and students who were originally neutral or supportive of the war became anti-war.
I found the entire program gripping and it increased my appreciation of those tumultuous times.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The Essence of Life
Sometimes the simplest things in life are also the most satisfying.
It has been gloomy weather all week and now today, the sun is shining and the world is cheerful again. I love the shimmering sunlight on the leaves and the beautiful sheen on the grass on days like this. I love the warmth and the glow of the day. It makes me glad to be alive.
I hope everyone else is having as good a day as I am....
It has been gloomy weather all week and now today, the sun is shining and the world is cheerful again. I love the shimmering sunlight on the leaves and the beautiful sheen on the grass on days like this. I love the warmth and the glow of the day. It makes me glad to be alive.
I hope everyone else is having as good a day as I am....
