The sound of doves crying

  2016. From January 1 to December 31 it has been a rough, tough, hard year on many fronts. Without a doubt politics was at the top of the heap of hot button topics as was gender bias bathrooms. Yet despite the venomous rhetoric those and other subjects elicited there is one topic that unceremoniously affected us all - death. The death of relatives and friends is probably the most painful of all but It seemed Death visited so much more in 2016. 

  A veritable who’s who of celebrities found Death knocking this year. The year was barely ten days old when it was announced that David Bowie had sung his last and just 4 days later beloved screen star Alan Rickman passed. Other icons followed - Nancy Reagan, Prince, Muhammed Ali, Gene Wilder, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Michael and Carrie Fisher, just to name a few, all closed their eyes for the final time. 

  But why do those people, those celebrities deaths affect us so greatly? It is because they are a part of the fabric of our lives and with their deaths we lose a small part of our lives. We remember where we were when first we heard the opening strains of “Purple Rain.” We remember who was with us when we watched Willy Wonka sing “Pure Imagination” next to a river of chocolate or the smells of the bar where we watched Ali take on Liston. We remember laughing as Princess Leia put Hans Solo in his place with a quick-witted jibe. 

  Just as a smell and sound can easily whisk us away to a distant memory, so to can the names of our hero’s. We then lament that there will never be another “Really Dahling!” (Zsa Zsa Gabor) or the Sheriff of Nottingham sarcastically claiming there will be “no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas!” (Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). 

  Losing the iconic celebrities of our lives is a traumatic thing and it forces us to recognize and face our own mortality. That being said there is a silver lining. Because we live in a day and age when we can instantly call up a song on our phone or immediately order a film to watch at home our celebrities become immortal… at least to us. It is a shame young children will likely never know our celebrities as we do - or even know who our celebrities are (ask a teenager who John Wayne is!) But for our generation our celebrities will always live on, will always be a part of who we are even though for a moment we know “what it sounds like when doves cry.”

A fairly complete list of celebrities we lost in 2016:

JANUARY

4 – Robert Stigwood, Entertainment Manager – age 81

6 – Pat Harrington Jr., Actor – age 86

7 – Troy Shondell, Singer – age 76

7 – Kitty Kallen, Singer – age 94

9 – Angus Scrimm, Actor – age 89

10 – David Bowie, Musician – age 69

11 – David Margulies, Actor – age 78

14 – Alan Rickman, Actor – age 69

14 – René Angélil, Singer / Manager –  age 73

15 – Dan Haggerty, Actor – age 74

15 – Noreen Corcoran, Actress – age 72

18 – Glen Frey, Singer / Songwriter – age 67

26 – Abe Vigoda, Actor – age 94

28 – Paul Kantner, Singer / Songwriter – age 74

28 – Mike Minor, Actor – age 75

FEBRUARY

2 – Bob Elliot, Comedian – age 92

3 – Maurice White, Musician / songwriter – age 74

3 – Joe Alaskey, Voice Actor – age 63

4 – Joe Dowell, Pop Singer – age 76

15 – George Gaynes, Actor – age 98

15 – Vanity, Actress/Singer – age 57

22 – Yolande Fox, Singer – age 87

22 – Sonny James, Country Music Singer/Songwriter – age 87

24 – Lennie Baker, Musician – age 69

25 – Tony Burton, Actor – age 78

28 – George Kennedy, Actor – age 91

29 – Gil Hill, Police Commander/Actor – age 84

MARCH

4 – Joey Martin Feek, Country music singer/songwriter– age 40

6 – Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the U.S.(1981-1989)  – age 94

8 – Sir George Martin, Producer for the “Beatles” albums – age 90

9 – Robert Horton, Actor– age 91

10 – Keith Emerson, Musician / keyboardist – age 71

13 – Adrienne Corri, Actress – age 85

16 – Frank Sinatra Jr., Singer– age 72

17 – Larry Drake, Actor – age 66

18 – Joe Santos, Actor – age 84

21 – Peter Brown, Actor – age 80

22 – Richard Bradford, Actor – age 81

22 – Phife Dawg, Singer – age 45

23 – Joe Garagiola, Baseball Player – age 90

23 – Ken Howard, Actor – age 71

24 – Garry Shandling, Comedian – age 66

28 – James Noble, Actor – age 94

APRIL

6 – Merle Haggard, singer/songwriter – age 79

12 – Anne Jackson, Actress – age 90

17 – Doris Roberts, Actress – age 90

20 – Victoria Wood, English Comedian/Actress – age 62

20 – Chyna, WWE wrestler – age 46

21 – Prince, Musician – age 57

21 – Lonnie (Mack) McIntosh, Guitarist – age 74

23 – Madeleine Sherwood, Actress – age 94

24 – Billy Paul, Singer – age 81

MAY

8 – William Schallert, Actor – age 93

12 – Julius La Rosa, Singer – age 86

19 – Morley Safer, Journalist – age 84

19 – Alan Young, Actor  – age 96

24 – Burt Kwouk, Actor – age 85

27 – Mike Barnett, Singer – age 89

29 – Patty Duke, Singer – age 69

JUNE

3 – Muhammad Ali, Professional Boxer – age 74

10 – Gordie Howe, Hockey player – age 88

13 – Michu Meszaros, Actor / Circus Performer – age 76

14 – Ann Guilbert, Actress – age 87

14 – Ronnie Claire Edwards, Actress – age 83

17 – Ron Lester, Actor – age 45

19 – Anton Yelchin, Actor – age 27

27 – Mack Rice, Songwriter – age 82

28 – Scotty Moore, Guitarist – age 84

28 – Buddy Ryan, NFL Football Coach – age 85

28 – Pat Summitt, NCAA Basketball Coach– age 64

JULY

2 – Teddy Rooney, Actor/Musician – age 66

3 – Noel Neill, Actress  – age 95

6 – Danny Smythe, Musician – age 67

16 – Bonnie Brown, Musician  – age 77

19 – Garry Marshall, Writer/Producer/Actor – age 81

27 – Jerry Doyle, Actor– age 60

30 – Gloria DeHaven, Actress/Singer – age 91

AUGUST

2 – David Huddleston, Actor – age 85

3 – Ricci Martin, Entertainer – age 62

6 – Pete Fountain, Jazz Musician – age 86

11 – Glenn Yarbrough, Singer – age 86

13 – Kenny Baker, Actor – age 81

14 – Fyvush Finkel, Actor – age 93

19 –Jack Riley, Actor – age 80

23 – Steven Hill, Actor – age 94

25 – Marvin Kaplan, Actor – age 89

29 – Gene Wilder, Actor – age 83

SEPTEMBER

1 – Jon Polito, Actor – age 65

6 – Hugh O’Brian, Actor – age 91

9 – James Stacy, Actor– age 79

17 – Charmian Carr, Actress – age 73

24 – Bill Nunn, Actor –  age 63

25 – Jean Shepard, Singer/Songwriter – 82

25 – José Fernández, Baseball player – age 24

25 – Arnold Palmer, Golfer – age 87

OCTOBER

21 – Kevin Meaney, Comedian –  age 60

23 – Pete Burns, Singer/Songwriter – age 57

24 – Bobby Vee, Singer – age 73

30 – Tammy Grimes, Stage Actress – age 82

NOVEMBER

3 – Kay Starr, Singer – age 94

7 – Janet Reno, Attorney General  – age 78

7 – Leonard Cohen, Poet / Songwriter – age 82

11 – Robert Vaughn, Actor – age 83

13 – Leon Russell, Musician / Songwriter – age 74

15 – Holly Dunn, Singer / Songwriter – age 59

18 – Sharon Jones, American soul and funk singer – age 60

24 – Florence Henderson, Actress  – age 82

25 – Ron Glass, Actor – age 71

26 – Fritz Weaver, Actor – age 90

28 – Van Williams, Actor – age 82

30 – Keo Woolford, Actor – age 49

30 – Grant Tinker, Television executive – age 90

DECEMBER

3 – Don Calfa, Actor – age 76

3 – Billy Chapin, Actor – age 72

7 – Greg Lake, Musician  – age 69

8 – Joseph Mascolo, Actor– age 87

8 – John Glenn, NASA Astronaut. Senator from Ohio – age 95

12 – Jim Lowe, Singer – age 93

13 – Alan Thicke, Actor – age 69

14 – Bernard Fox, Actor – age 89

18 – Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian Actress and Socialite – age 99

18 – Gordie Tapp, Entertainer –  age 94

20 – Michèle Morgan, French Actress –  age 96

24 – Rick Parfitt, Musician/Songwriter –  age 68

24 – Caroline Aherne, Comedienne/Actress  – age 52

25 – George Michael, Singer/Songwriter – age 53

26 – Rickey Lopez, Actor – age 54

27 – Carrie Fisher, Actress – age 60

27 – Richard Adams, Author – age 96

The trouble with Pirates...

  Have you ever stopped and thought about pirates? Seriously.  Pirates. You know… those swashbuckling fiends we root for on the silver screen. Don’t you just love Captain Jack Sparrow, Long John Silver, Anne Bonny, Captains Flint and Charles Vane? 

  Like a lot of people I grew up fascinated with the lore of pirates and their tales of gold, adventure and fighting. Being a nautical minded person I’ve always had an affinity for anything dealing with the oceans - under or on them. But as I age and take stock of more serious issues in life I am forced to give pause and consider the true nature of pirates when I see films and movies about them or even consider the naming of sports teams after them. About the best thing I can think to say about pirates is they weren’t as bad as ISIS and that’s not much of a compliment.

  We have for some reason romanticized pirates and piracy. Consider that. As a society we have taken ordinary men with a lust for blood, women, drink and money and given them respect. We get upset when a male celebrity beats on a woman yet we idolize men who beat, brutalized and raped women on a regular basis. We are shocked when an individual plows through a crowd in a vehicle or meanders through a school or business with a gun killing at will but why aren’t we more appalled at the atrocities of pirates through the ages? Why do we idolize those rapists, murderers and thieves? Their defiance of authority and the romantic notion we have of them freely wandering the seas are ideals that are alluring to us. But we can’t justify their brutality so we trivialize it in order to feel good about their carefree lifestyles.

  I know, a lot of people will say I’m being ridiculous or nit picking but consider this - we remove confederate flags, change the names of sports teams and generally pout when someone hurts our feelings by something that is said but those same persons will jump at the chance to root for murdering rapists when they can see another Pirates of the Caribbean movie or the next season of Black Sails.

Just something to think about.

No more cussing!

I no longer cuss. When I started going back to church and committed myself to that lifestyle change my language was the first thing I had to change. Now when I am around others or even just sitting watching TV and hear someone cuss I can't help but to think about how pathetic cussing sounds now that I no longer engage in that vice. And I think about those around me who are fast and loose with their tongues and then talk about how they go to church or trust in God or ask for prayers - all of which is fine and good except I also think about James 3:16 & James 1:26. The former verse says 

"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." 

In other words DON'T CUSS! The second verse is even more condemning saying 

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless." 

Think about that. If you claim to be religious but do not bridle your tongue (which means you do not stop cussing as well as speaking hateful things) then your religion is, well worthless.
  Isn't it time we not only put God back in schools and in our government and businesses but also back in our character? Couldn't that be what is wrong with our country today? We have relegated character to a fictional idea only found in old movies and TV. Change our character for a better world and we can start by bridling our tongue and stop cussing and spewing hate.

LGBTQFPN

Okay, so Lesbians, Gays, and Bi-sexuals adopted the moniker "LGB" then the transexuals felt left out so they got added and it became "LGBT" - a mouthful to say as it is and it doesn't really roll off the tongue very easily, had to be a military person that came up with that acronym. But now the "Q's" got involved. I don't know who the Q's are but they evidently have an identity crisis so now they've joined up with the LGBT's and it's now the LGBTQ's. 
Next up I'm sure are the practitioners of Beastiality but the LGBTQ'ers already have a "B" so I'm not sure what they would be called. "Animalists" maybe? No, I think there is another fetish out there that may be called that. Well lets just call them "Fur-sexuals."
Next come the pedophiles so we have the "P's" and let's not forget the necrophiliacs with a big ol' "N."
What's the point to all this? It's strength in numbers. You see, by banding together they form a large pack, and can present a large front and gain more headlines. By presenting themselves as a large enough entity it makes it appear as though they are a majority and by doing that these folks can influence elections, media and our impressionable youths.
But it is time to reverse this trend, it's time to start standing firm against these lifestyles which threaten our society. It is time to stand firm in the face of criticism from these liberal people. These folks were NOT born gay or lesbian or with another sex trapped in their body. They were born with either male DNA or female DNA. Our sexual leanings are of our own making and we each have the power to decide to not lean towards being gay or seek a sex change or dress so as to appear as a different sex. It is time to take a stand and reclaim our alphabet.

"If Today Was Your Last Day..."

 There’s a popular rock song that always gets me to thinking about how I’ve lived my life and what I can do in the time I have left to make it better, not only for myself but also for those around me. The song, “If Today Was Your Last Day,” by Nickelback presents a scenario where a best friend offers his or her advice with sentiments we’ve all heard and sometimes might view as cliché (“each day’s a gift and not a given right,” “take the path less traveled by”).

  Yet the lyrics that always seem to reach me and cause me to give pause and consider are ones that offer a great deal of sage advice if they are to be taken with an open heart and mind. So let’s examine some of the ones that stand out. 

  “If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, Could you say goodbye to yesterday?”

  If I were to leave this world tonight while I slept, what could I have done, what should I have done that went left undone. We can’t always control the things we should do now, sometimes it has to be put off for another day for myriad reasons, but when you go to sleep can you close your eyes in good conscience and bid yesterday farewell knowing you might not open your eyes again.

  “Would you live each moment like your last”

  You might take this as “would you live each moment like it was your last moment” and that is certainly a thought that provokes thoughts, but the lyric asks if you would live each moment like you just lived your last moment? The heart of the lyric is asking if you will be satisfied to continue living your life the way you have been. Has your life been a life to be proud of? The lyrics meaning begs the listener to examine their own life and decide if changes can be made to make it better.

  “Leave old pictures in the past, Donate every dime you have”

  The donate every dime part of that lyric always gets to me. I’m a poor man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have something to offer. Even the little money I do have should I or do I share it with those who are less fortunate? It is easy to be cynical and callous in this day and age and I AM cynical and often times I’m callous. I shouldn’t be, God doesn’t want his people to be that way. Finding my way out of that mentality is a daily struggle, one I and possibly you reading this, deal with on a daily basis. 

  “Would you call old friends you never see?”

  There’s a saying I like to say when I find I’m inundated with “things” that bog down my day - “Life Happens.” But it is just because ‘Life Happens’ that we should endeavor to stay in touch with old friends, family, people from our past who were important to us in some way. Facebook has definitely made it easier to connect with those we’ve lost touch with, but there is something special in actually picking up the phone and calling them and something even more special and personal about picking up a pen and paper and taking the time to actually write a letter or even just a simple note or postcard and sending it their way. We should all make it a point to reconnect with important persons from our past.

  “Would you forgive your enemies?”

  This is possibly the most important part of this song. Forgiveness requires love and to love someone who has wronged you is supremely difficult and yet Christ gave us the perfect example of forgiving those who would do us harm, not only he but the apostles and first century Christians as well. They faced ridicule, hatred, persecution and death, yet they lived their beliefs and the new commandment Christ gave in John 13:34 - “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Certainly one of the most difficult tasks Christians have and yet one which we must also feel in our hearts.

  “You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are. So do whatever it takes, Cause you can’t rewind a moment in this life. Let nothing stand in your way, Cause the hands of time are never on your side.”

  These lines in the waning vestiges of the song sum up the urgency to recognize the importance of the message. It doesn’t matter who you are we are all charged as human beings to live each day to the fullest, doing all we can not just for ourselves but for the less fortunate and those who are our enemies. You only get one go at this life so make it count and don’t let ANYTHING stand in your way.

  So today, take a look at your life. Ask yourself, “What can I do to be a better person?” “What can I do to help someone less fortunate than myself?” “What can I do to reach out and connect with that person in my past who was such a positive influence and inspiration to me?” “What can I do to show that person who may despise and hate me that I love them as a human being and want an end to the enmity between us?” Once you’ve answered those questions take action and make your life one to be proud of.

A Young Writer - "A Kind Father"

  I was flipping through a couple of scrapbooks of mine that mom had made for me many years ago. The first was from second through third grade and the second one from fourth through about seventh grade. What a treat to take a few moments and look back on the boy I was. There were things from school, scouting, church, sports, and the places we lived. I came across one particular item, a stapled booklet of short stories (extremely short!) written by my third grade class, including one by me. 

  As I read through it I was amused at the innocence of my words and I reflected on how as an adult I have lost that innocence. And though the story itself is not a great achievement I was amazed at my knowledge of the era the subject was written in. But I'll let you read for yourself and hope you don't laugh at me too much... I was only eight years old after all! :)

A Kind Father

by

Charlton Wiggins 

  In a pink and blue tavern in Tennessee, the son and daughter of Rick and Jill Sanders were eating their lunch. Just as they were finishing their lunch, there came a clatter of horse hoofs, it came again, closer and closer - then it stopped. Mitch reached over for his musket and aimed it at the door. Although Mitch was thirteen, he could shoot from two-hundred feet and shoot a squirrel through the eyes. All of a sudden, the door was flung open and there before them stood a tall lanky man. He wore a three-cornered hat, breeches, stockings that were up to his knees, buckled shoes and a bib. April, who was twelve, had been up a moment or two before Mitch yelled, "Pa!"
  Rick said, "Wait a minute." Then he moved over to the table and said, "I'll answer all your questions one at a time." After he finished answering all of their questions he had a good supper! Then they all went to bed with happy thoughts.
  Early the next morning, after they ate, their father called them back to the barn. There they father was waiting for them.
  "Come into the barn," said their father. He turned and led them into the barn. There stood a Palamino and a Pinto. Beside the Pinto was a musket and three boxes of cartridges.  Beside the Palamino was a frying pan and a pretty dress.
  They just stood there, and then finally managed to say, "Oh, you're the kindest father in the world!"

  Now before you judge me too harshly I realize a musket doesn't use cartridges and a frying pan is extremely stereotypical but that was the world we grew up in. Now the challenge would be to take this kernel of an idea and develop it into a full story!

A Piece of History in the Family

Radioman Oliver Wendell Wiggins... dad.
At the teletype machine at Naval Station Guam.

  My dad served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman. Back in 1960 he was stationed at Guam and on January 23, 1960 he became a small part of oceanographic history when as part of his job he relayed via teletype (teletype is an electromechanical typewriter used to send and receive typed messages from point to point - essentially a telegram) the story which was unfolding in the Marianas Trench off of Guam. I had heard him talk of it a time or two but in going through some stored papers today I came across his copy of the actual teletype story. The event involved Dr. Andreas Rechnitzer who, along with Dr. Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, descended in the bathyscaphe “Trieste” into the deepest part of the ocean - the Marianas Trench.
  I’ve always loved everything about the ocean and as I read this folded paper about one of the most historic submersible feats in history I was captivated, not to mention proud that my father was there. So, I am sharing here with you the account as written, without the obligatory telegram breaks and punctuations though. I hope you enjoy.

  Dr. Andreas Rechnitzer who is the scientist in charge of the Navy’s deep-sea diving sphere, “Trieste,” that broke the world record Sunday, had some interesting tales to relate after having submerged to the bottom of the sea during a scientific dive.
  Dr. Rechnitzer was accompanied by Dr. Jacques Piccard when they shattered the depth record of 13400 feet by descending to the unprecedented depth of 18600 feet.
  “It was indeed a great sensation coming face to face with the bottom of the ocean,” said the senior scientist after his historic adventure.
  Heavy seas and inclement weather postponed the dive for two days and finally on Sunday morning at 1000 (10:00 am) the two scientists commenced their historic journey.
  “We left the attending vessels bobbing on the rough surface as we descended untethered and on our own into the eerie calm below,” said Doctor Rechnitzer.
  With one lone pilot fish following them curiously for their first few feet, the blimp-shaped vessel settled slowly into the deep marianas trench at an average of one mile per hour.
  “At the surface the sun-lit water appeared as an electrifying blue through the eight inch thick plastic windows,” stated Dr. Rechnitzer.
  After a thousand feet the sea darkened to midnight black, but at 1500 feet, the phenomenon of bioluminescence gave the illusion of a starry night.
  “Numerous tiny greenish white lights surrounded us,” said the senior scientist.
  At 6000 ft the quantity of living underwater lights dwindled and once again it was black.
  On the bottom for only ten minutes he observed no fish, only shrimp and numerous small holes of burrowing animals, according to Dr. Rechnitzer.
  At exactly 3 1/3 miles from the surface, Dr. Rechnitzer had the first glimpse by man of the ocean floor in the Marianas Trench, almost a full mile deeper than man has ever gone.
  “Dropping ballast to slow our descent for landing on the bottom, created billows of underwater dust which temporarily obscured details of the sea floor,” said Dr. Rechnitzer.
  A biting temperature of 42 degrees inside of the sphere was the major physical discomfort endured by the two men despite the fact that they were confined 5 and 1/2 hours in a space equal to that of normal household refrigerator. The 36 degree temperature outside, had penetrated the thick walls of the bathyscaph by the time they reached the bottom. It was particularly annoying to the pair of scientists who were wet from the waist down from boarding the vessel in rough water.
  The ascent was just as smooth as the descent. They appeared on the surface after 5 and 1/2 hours at nearly the origin of the dive, indicating that there was relatively little deep wake current.
  This phase of the Navys global long-term oceanographic and marine research program to explore the deep ocean has been in the planning for two years. The bathyscaph, Trieste was purchased by the Navy in 1958, from Professor Auguste Piccard.
  The tests are being conducted under the joint sponsorship of Naval Electronics Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research. Some of the underwater data being sought includes more knowledge of sunlight penetration, underwater visibility, natural underwater sounds, transmission of man-made sounds, water currents, water temperatures, sea floor configurations, and the effect of deep water pressures on various mechanical devices.
  As Dr. Rechnitzer put it, “We probably know more about the surface of the moon than we know about the bottom of the Ocean.” This series of dives and exploration will undoubtedly bring to light many mysteries yet unknown to mankind. 

Bathyscaph "Trieste" after its historic journey to the ocean depths
January 23, 1960

Christ's Birthday? I Think Not!

  I hope you are as intrigued by this blog entry as I am in writing it. Before I proceed any further though allow me to set the stage. The information that follows is not the result of my own research, instead it is a theory proposed to me one day by Terry Rikard, the minister at the Mebane St. church of Christ. My contribution is relegated to A) editing and rewriting the information in a way that hopefully flows well and B) publishing it here on my blog.

  Was Jesus born on December 25? I believe any person who has studied the Bible at all can attest to the fact that the Bible nowhere states that Jesus Christ was born on December 25th. Through a careful study and assimilation of the scriptures though, as well as a knowledge of Jewish history, customs and traditions we can put together a clearer picture of when Christ was truly born.
  For our purposes the story of the birth of Christ begins with Zacharias (also spelled Zechariah), the father of John the Baptist. According to the gospel of Luke, Zacharias was a priest from the division of Abijah (Luke 1:5).  During the Second Temple period each of the priestly divisions (there were 24) served in the temple at Jerusalem on a rotation basis. The division of Abijah would have been in service roughly between the middle to end of Sivan or our June and ended sometime between the 19th to the 25th of Sivan (June). At some point before the end of his service in the temple the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, telling him his wife Elizabeth would have a child (Luke 1:11-20).
  When Zacharias finished his service in the temple he returned home to his wife and she became pregnant (Luke 1:23-24). So from this we can deduce that John the Baptist was conceived around the end of June.
   Now let's change scenes to the tiny town of Nazareth and look at the virgin Mary, cousin to Elizabeth and fiance of Joseph. Once again Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel re-appears, this time to Mary (Luke 1:26)  and tells her she will have a son, and He will be called, “Son of the Most High.” Mary is wondering how this can be, since she is a virgin. The angel tells her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month..." (Luke 1:35-37). Now if John was conceived in late June and Jesus was conceived 6 months later, this means Jesus would have been conceived around the Feast of Dedication or Hanukah, (our Christmas) or the end of December. John also tells us this Feast of Dedication is in the winter (John 10:22)  and Jesus himself tells us winter is not a suitable time for travel, (Matthew 24:20). So from this we can assume that shepherds would not be in the open fields tending their flocks, especially at night, because the temperature would likely be too cold for them to be in the open fields during winter and Luke tells us there were shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock at night (Luke 2:8).
  Now if Jesus was conceived around the Feast of Dedication he would have been born around nine months later which puts his birth at mid to late September. This timing is important because it corresponds to Succoth, or the Feast of Booths. What exactly is the Feast of Booths? Lets look at Deuteronomy 16:16:
"Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover, this is when Jesus died) and at the Feast of Weeks (which is also known as Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out) and at the Feast of Tabernacles (this is also known as the "Feast of Booths) and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.”  The book of Genesis further explains 'Succoth' or 'Booths' when it says "Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth" (Genesis 33:17).  Succoth is another name for booths and one purpose of a booth is to serve as a shelter for livestock. Of course another name for a shelter for livestock is the more familiar term "manger." If, as this theory proposes, Jesus was born in September during the Feast of the Booths there would have been a multitude of booths, most housing livestock, available for Mary and Joseph to take shelter in just as Luke describes saying "...you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12).
  So, from the information presented it can be safely assumed that Christ was born in late September or there-abouts. If you believe this, and I personally do, it begs the question "Is it important?" The answer is "no." You see there are two reasons why the date of Christ's birth is not a binding event for Christians to celebrate.
  First, nowhere in the Bible is a command given, either explicit or implied, to celebrate the birth of Christ. Secondly, he importance of birthdays is greatly diminished and put into proper perspective when the Old Testament tells us "A good name [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). This doesn't mean we should not celebrate birthdays, only that it is not significant in perspective of our entire lives.
  I myself have never celebrated the birth of Christ at Christmas time, instead December 25th has always been a date my family has chosen to use as a day of celebrating family, love and friendships. Celebrating Christs birthday on December 25th as a religious holiday is erroneous however celebrating Christs birthday on December 25th as a means of teaching Christ is quite acceptable. There is a difference.
  Celebrating Christ's birthday is not a binding matter - we won't go to hell for celebrating it or not celebrating it. But we ARE commanded to celebrate his sacrifice on the cross on the first day of each week (Sunday) by partaking of the "Lord's Supper" or communion.
  One thing we can all agree on though - no matter what your standing on celebrating Christmas it is a season of joy, love and family.
  Merry Christmas!

Fight Slavery - Defeat Liberals!

  For the life of me I cannot fathom why todays liberals and youths are so desperate to become slaves. Yes, slaves. That is the agenda the liberal left endorses. They feed the liberal minions with promises of free food, free shelter, free medical care, free phones, free this and free that. In exchange the liberal leaders achieve power and authority, and the minions are left without resource and must be told what to do. Liberals, which is a majority of the Democratic party and those who vote for Democrats are pissing on the graves of our forefathers, our patriots, our military, all who suffered for independence and equality. They want to trample on the Constitution… the very document that gives them freedom despite the fact they do not deserve it. Is this the nightmare that America has become? 

  With every day I discover some new story, new incident, new activity that shreds and destroys the fabric of freedom so many men and women have fought and died for over the past 250 years. Mr. or Ms. Liberal, are you really so inept that you need to have yourself enslaved in order to survive? Are you really that lazy? So lazy that you refuse to get up off your ass and pursue the American dream the way generations before you have - by hard work, saving money, striving to achieve something for yourself and to make the world a better place for your children? Your actions and words scream of laziness, they scream of an inability to think for yourself, the inability to make decisions for yourself, the desire to be a slave, to make sure you always have a master. They will continue to beat you into submission, to whip you with the chains of bureaucracy, to shackle you with poverty, and in the end to hang you with unfulfilled promises. 

  Now you may say this a very racist article but it is not, the degradation the liberals continue to strive to enslave us with does not recognize a skin color, it does not recognize age. The ONLY thing the liberal agenda fears is loosing your vote. It is their fear that drives them to continue to make promises they cannot keep in order to enact their plans to shred the Constitution - the very document that gives us freedom! Do you realize they want to take away your rights of free speech, freedom to demonstrate, freedom of the press, freedom to defend yourself? For those of you who are on the liberal bandwagon you are blind. The very freedoms they are attempting to take away from the conservatives and moderates will also be taken away from you the liberals. No longer will you be able to decry the injustices of government, no longer will you be able to assemble and voice your opposition to the government, to other groups or persons. No longer will the media (press) be permitted to freely criticize or advocate for anything. We decry inequality, and rightly so, but the liberal agenda will not permit you to do so as theirs will be the voice in control and that control will mean you are equal in slavery. Is this the America you really want? That is what you are pushing for. 

  As bleak a future as the liberals have created for us there is still hope. A hope that we the minions will not stand for the liberal oppression any longer, a hope that we the minions will justly rise up and with our voice and our votes will remove the slave masters from office and install men and women, Democrat and Republican, who will stand straight and tall against the forces of evil liberals who would destroy the very fabric that our unique and great country stand on - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

  Still there is hope.

The trouble with our young and a solution

  All too often I have heard people express concern over the sad state of affairs in our society. The lack of respect for our elderly citizens, the ambivalence of our youth and their seeming lack of respect for authority, each other and life itself.

  Many times have I heard someone express their bewilderment and wonder at what this country has come to. They can’t believe children are doing the (bad) things they are doing. 

  I watched a video on a news show recently that showed a man in a convenience store shooting another man repeatedly. Moments later five or six other people just walk on by the man who lay on the floor fighting for life. They didn’t even bother to help. It truly is a sad time we live in. But what can we do? It is out of control. Too often I’ve heard the remark that “there is nothing I can do.”

  Friends, with a negative attitude there is truly nothing you can do. But what is worse is that with that kind of attitude YOU become a part of the problem. Isn’t it time you started being a part of the solution.

  “But,” you say, “there is no solution.”

  Ah, but I believe there is. The solution is within all of us because the solution starts with each one of us separately. The solution isn’t easy and it isn’t fast. It will take dedication and determination. It begins with “no.”

  You see, every time you as an adult allows bad behavior to go unchecked you are guilty of feeding that bad behavior - that behavior that leads to more bad behavior and so on until ultimately a man is lying in his own blood in a convenience store and people are walking by him not lending a hand.

  As children and young people fall prey to peer pressure, grow up in a single parent home, never go to church and are given no punishment for their actions the fault falls to us as adults.

  Whether as a parent or a concerned citizen we must say NO! We must demand severe repercussions for actions that fall outside the accepted lines of decency, civility and human kindness.

  We must say NO when a child or young adult disrespects authority. Whether that authority is a parent, grandparent, policeman or teacher we MUST DEMAND our youth respect authority. We must teach they don’t have to like it but they DO have to respect it. 

  We must as adults also teach by our example. Our youth must see that we practice what we preach. We also must show respect for authority, respect for our elders and respect for women. Our youth must see that we defer to the policeman who pulls us over for speeding. We may not like it but that does not mean we do not show that officer respect. 

  As I sat down to write this blog entry I had the intention of leading the reader to understand how many of our older adults, including myself, came to be instilled with the values we hold. For myself I had the triple blessing of a Christian home, a military father and the Boy Scouts. I know that may sound odd but let me explain. 

  First my parents are Christians and every Sunday morning, evening and Wednesday nights we drove about 40 minutes one way to worship services and Bible study. Yes, for a kid it got old at times, I couldn’t participate in some secular activities because they occurred at times when we were at church. You see, in my family God came first. That was how we were raised. That environment taught me morality, love, devotion and respect among many other things.

  Secondly, my father retired from the U.S. Navy. Growing up a military brat meant we moved several times as we followed my father from station to station. In that environment I learned a different kind of respect… respect for authority, for country, and for the flag. I learned that sacrifice is good and honorable and patriotism is something to be proud of.

  And lastly the Boy Scouts. I think this noble institution instilled in me the values necessary to be a good citizen and to face many of the everyday situations we encounter. From the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” to the Scout pledge which elicits duty to God, to others and to self. But it is the Scout Law with its twelve tenets which I believe can be the greatest solution to our nations problems today if it were only taught to every single child as they grow. That law is this:

A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.

  Such powerful words, such empowering words. You don’t have to be a scout or a boy to abide by them, any race, gender, age or religious beliefs (including atheists) can abide by them. But if you want your world to be a better place you and I need to teach them, live them and abide by them. Pass it on.

Ode to Criddle

Criddle in my arms about an hour before she passed.
Never a sweeter dog walked the earth.

  I often wonder why it is that I seem to suffer loss more and grieve harder when a pet passes from this life than I do when a person passes on. I've had time to think on this over the years and it was driven home late last night when my beloved little Miniature Schnauzer "Criddle" departed this life while I held her in my arms and cried over her.

  I don't believe animals have a "soul" in the manner that a human does but I do believe they have something, call it a "life-force" that gives them a personality and a modicum of intelligence. I also don't believe in animals or pets going to heaven as we tend to think of it. Instead I put my faith and trust in God and believe that he will take care of them in death as he did in life. I choose to think of the example Christ gave when he talked about the birds in Matthew 6:26 when he says:

  "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them."

  In other words it is not for us to worry about our dogs or cats when they die because God will take care of them in his way. 

  But why does their death affect me so much more than the death of an adult human? Obviously in either case there is a void in our lives once filled by that person and that animal. For me I believe the answer lies in the knowledge that animals don't live life and make decisions based on whether something is right or wrong. They don't plan their days or set goals to reach. They don't fall in love or scheme against others. What they do is make decisions based on instinct and rewards, they have no plan for life or seek to attain a goal. I don't believe they "love" as we know the word, rather they are created to be loved and instinctively respond to love (and unfortunately respond to hate too). 

  I believe dogs especially are created with an instinct to protect the "pack" or family, whether it be one person or many, because they have a highly developed instinct of bonding. 

  My point is that I feel a greater sense of loss over a dog (or pet) because they cannot make decisions for themselves of right and wrong and for that reason we as human beings are tasked with the responsibility of good stewardship to those creatures. It is our responsibility to love, care and provide for those animals we take into our hearts and lives and homes. And at the end of the day we sit back and evaluate our own behavior towards them and worry over whether we could have done something different or more to enrich their lives to a fuller extent because in the end it is truly they who have enriched our lives so greatly and enriched it so much more than we can ever repay... and so we bestow upon these creatures we call pets the greatest honor we can, we choose not to call them pets, but to call them "family."

R. I. P. American History

  I believe I have found the root of the problem in America of our citizens leaning more and more toward socialism and communism. As I was surfing news sites I came across this article on FoxNews.com by Joshua Rhett Miller that exposes a large number of America’s top liberal arts schools do not insist on students taking courses in American History. What? How is that possible. You cannot produce students who will stand up for and believe in America without instilling in them an idea of the sacrifices made and the principles upon which our nation was built and why. Oh sure they had history in high school but it is the collegiate level, where students are encouraged to be critical thinkers and examine the depths of the events in our history, that reasoning and understanding can lead to the discovery on a personal level of the importance of the events in the era within which they now live. At the collegiate level they can discover why conservatives are up-in-arms over the governments intrusion into our privacy and why we hold that privacy to be sacred. It is at the collegiate level where the student can begin to comprehend the value and benefit to the nation as a whole of maintaining a capitalistic society. It is at the collegiate level where our young citizens can get their mind around the destructiveness of socialism and communism and why our conservative citizens ardently strive to keep those ideals out of our government.

  Our young people in college are being let loose to study trivial subjects at a time when their minds are ripe and receptive to learning. If we continue to allow them to be taught things like “History of Electronic Dance Music,” or “Decoding Disney: Race, Gender and Sexuality in the Animated Blockbuster” (both actual courses offered in lieu of American History at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine) instead of requiring them to delve into the annals of American History then we are failing the next generations.

  Teaching American History is so very important to the future of our country. Without it we are doomed to fall into oblivion when liberal forces try to remove our constitutional rights as they are actively attempting even now. “Constitutional rights.” We hear that term every day but without American History it is unlikely our children will understand why we have those rights and why they are so very important to the survival of the American way. Why it is important to have uninfringed news reporting, or giving each American the right to voice their beliefs and grievances. Why it is important to allow each of us to follow our own religious beliefs, or the importance of law-abiding citizens to maintain their right to own and bear arms. 

  As I watch the current administration in Washington trample upon the Constitution and enact policies which bring our economic freedom to the precipice of destruction I am ashamed of our universities and colleges, where once was the flame of free speech and tolerance allowed to burn ever so brightly, there now stand bastions of intolerance and nearly Stalinist silencing of the peoples voice. 

Facts About The Democratic Party

Being a history buff I am often taken aback by the quickness and severity with which liberals, aka - Democrats, display their hatred of the Republican Party, especially with regards to equality. You see, what Democrats would have everyone believe is that they are the only ones who believe in equality, that conservatives, aka - Republicans, are and always have been hate-mongers. I find that extremely false, hateful and hypocritical. For those who may be unschooled in the history of racial equality and the two prominent political parties, allow me to present you with some facts.

FACT- Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president of the United States. 

FACT- Historical records, including a 13 volume set of congressional records from 1872 reveal that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was established by Nathan Bedford Forrest - a Democrat.

FACT- Nathan Bedford Forrest, as leader of the KKK, was honored at the 1868 Democratic National Convention. 

FACT- The KKK targeted Republicans, both black AND white, and lynched 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites between 1882 and 1964. 

FACT- Democratic legislators successfully blocked Republican efforts to pass anti-lynching laws. 

FACT- No Democrat voted for the 14th Amendment to grant citizenship to former slaves. 

FACT- The 1960 Civil Rights Act was a Republican Bill which became law after it survived a 5 day, 5 hour filibuster by 18 Democrats. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Johnson, a Democrat, only after it failed to be scuttled by 22 Senate Democrats - including a Klansman (Robert Byrd) and Al Gore, Sr. (Yes - future Vice-President Al Gore's father). 

FACT- Republicans appointed the 1st black Air Force and Army 4-star generals. 

FACT- Republicans established civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday as a national holiday. 

  My point in all of this is to show that while the Democrats attempt to paint Republicans as evil, hateful people the truth is, if it weren't for Republicans our nations racists would still be lynching blacks every day with impunity. You see, the Republican Party is just about as much about equality and fairness as it is in fiscal responsibility, national security and protecting democracy. On the other hand liberals are all about returning to inequality. Consider taxes for a moment. If you ask a liberal if they believe in equality in taxation chances are they will say "Yes." But when you point out that tax equality means that Bill Gates would pay the exact same dollar amount as you and me - not percentage mind you but actual dollar amount - they are incensed because they by far believe the rich don't deserve what they have worked hard for and they should pay more - which is one of the most un-American positions I can imagine. 

  I'm glad Democrats no longer hold to their racist past, unfortunately they have replaced their hate for the black population with hate for American principles and the Constitution. 

  So next time you have a moment to sit and consider your political beliefs I hope you will consider that voting Republican is voting for equality and freedom, it is voting for America and the Constitution our founding fathers fought and died for it is voting against the racist philosophy which the Democratic Party endorsed and held for well over 100 years.