It's Something to Talk About and Teach Thing

Dear America,

hippo birdie to me, hippo birdie to me...
so good day all.  and yes, I have officially cracked.

It's my birthday; a birthday celebrating the downward slope in years and the upward slide in thoughts, musings, academics, growing into a certain wisdom only time can give.

Matter of fact, a little thing I just learned the other day is where the word 'education' comes from, with regards to it's Latin roots; it means, to bring forth from within.

Willing to bet, besides the obvious requirements stemming from the instrument itself --  quality teachings, wisdom of the ages, and teachers of sound mind and moral character --  nothing can replace the quantity of hard earned time, the life experiences that begin to add up and create a sense of knowing and understanding.

Real wisdom grows over time, like interest, compounding and becoming the invaluable, timeless, essence of old age.  It's only fair, considering the wrinkles and the gray hair that comes with, right.

Real wisdom comes from instruction, insight, inspiration, words of truth.

The Book of Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament of the Bible, speaks of this; it actually makes a splendid read upon the annual celebration of the day we are born.   (Only a suggestion)

One of our local preachers, Dr. David Jeremiah, offers a Sunday morning televised sermon each week; this week, he centered upon the message of Ecclesiastes, thought to have been written by King Solomon of Israel.    Most famous, possibly, for it's chapter 3-- the one revealing a time for everything under heaven -- the meaning of life is fully examined.

So, in awe of the word and in respect to time and space, let's aim on making a long story short:   Solomon makes the point that although the things of the material and physical world may seem all too important -- nothing, but nothing, can fill our hearts as being in relationship with God.  

God wants us to live abundantly, honestly, in integrity, in community with one another -- and remember from where it comes.

"Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole, duty, of man. 

For God

will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether good or evil."

pretty straightforward, pretty simple.

That still, small voice we hear in the day to day -- it is God, leaving an impression upon us, nudging our every thought, word and deed; when we are not living in relationship with the Almighty, then we are missing something.     Something deep inside us remains unfilled, empty, and we become lost and sometimes broken.  And naturally, the ill effects become evident in our daily experience.

Quickly switching gears to another favorite place of mine for inspiration, The Patriot Post has highlighted stunning testimony of Robert Steed, resident of Newtown, Connecticut, when speaking before the State Legislature.   I am going to copy the whole thing as The Patriot Post selectively edited -- and, of course, you are welcome to link up to see the video, also made available at The Post.

"This is the third day I've taken off of work to come here to, like so many of the rest of us, plead to you for us to keep our guns because of the actions of some wing-nut in Newtown, Connecticut. If that isn't inherently wrong, I don't know what is. That these bills are even in proposed form is scary enough. That any of you could be possibly undecided is scary enough. ... I can't for the life of me understand how this state can have as many gun laws on the books as it does and have members of its legislature need to take firearms 101. And as far as the, what I felt were potshots taken at the NRA earlier today: They've done more for gun safety -- they'll do more for gun safety this weekend than this committee will do in your careers. ... Sometimes things are beyond your control. You can't control everything. Evil exists. Adam Lanza commits a crime, and I'm here to grovel and plead for my rights and explain to you that my firearms are kept safely? I keep hearing the word 'solution' -- 'we need to find a solution.' You're not going to find a solution, it doesn't exist. You can't find a broad brush solution to evil. ... The reason that your jobs are becoming so difficult is that you're coloring outside the lines of constitutional parameter[s]. That's the bottom line. You are trying to marriage up public safety with constitutional rights. The Constitution did not guarantee public safety, it guaranteed liberty. And sometimes what comes with liberty is tragedy, unfortunately."  Robert Steed

Steed reminds his state legislators, "You're not going to find a solution, it doesn't exist.  You can't find a broad brush solution to evil."

For it is true -- mankind cannot fix a broken man; only God can fix that.   That is the way the world was made, just as that is the way man was created.

It's just a dimple in the way all things are divined.

An impression everlasting is made, only to be filled with the love of God... over time.

A broad brush solution to evil is a life living in relationship with God.   And the duty of the individual -- the man, the woman, the child -- is to eat, drink and be merry in this life of faith and atonement with the word, recognizing the fullness of blessings come with great duty and responsibility through honoring life itself, and God wholeheartedly.

Our children will never make this connection unless we teach them, starting young; but given good council is widely available, we must ask ourselves -- just why is society such an abomination these days?

It seems we are no longer teaching from the root, up.

It also seems we have dismissed the wisdom of the Ages. 

And yet, we hunger for it -- as evident by the blowout audience of The Bible series on The History Channel.

Perhaps this is a mixed bag of ideas today; blame it upon the arrival of a brand new year.  It's seems the celebration of the mid-life is being assaulted with a barrage of questions and summations fit for a child --  a child of God wondering what on earth are we doing to ourselves, what is my purpose, where do I go from here, how can I serve God better today than I did yesterday?

A real education is to bring forth that Something, something from within; that Something is The Thing Itself, and every single one of us can do it.   And allow me put it another way, America is depending upon it.  It's how good wins over evil.


Make it a Good Day, G