Dedicated to all the great Communicators (July '05)

Today I deal with an internal issue which has recently had overwhelmingly outward affects. My own doubts about my communication skills. There was a day when I felt I had quite a bit of knowledge "under the belt" when it came to productive and effective communication (even having led some classes in communication and connecting with others). Today is not one of those strong days. The older I get the more I wonder how much I truly know.

No one has ever known me as an overly tactful, entirely politically correct or even gracious communicator. I'm more of your run-of-the-mill, just say what needs to be said, coincidentally stepping-on-some-toes-along-the-way type. And most of my friends have urged me not to change a thing.

But today is a day I wonder about self-improvement. In what I say, if my pure-hearted intent isn't clearly stated and it doesn't come across right... am I the one who needs to change? When in fact, my intent was misinterpreted by the listener (albeit the message being necessary and at times quite direct) - am I the only one at fault that it stung upon delivery? Am I the one communicating incorrectly? Or do the listening hears have any responsibility in how they interpret or understand the message?

I can remember having this conversation with someone many years ago. At that time I felt strongly that it was mostly the communicator's fault... that they weren't taking the signals that your message wasn't coming across right. Today as the situation is reversed and I'm the "faulty communicator"... I ponder other's responsibility in effective two-way communication.

Do I have an answer to this problem? No... I'm still working on fixing this problem which society has been fumbling through for so long. So stay tuned... I'm sure I'll have it all worked out someday and can solve all of our problems... until then... let's just keep the communication lines open...

"History Forgotten"... or Forbidden? (July '05)

I decided to check email this morning before blogging my 4th of July musings ... and I found this email/article which my Mom forwarded. She often forwards the daily emails which land in her inbox - sometimes I take the time to read them, sometimes I simply skim them and delete without a second thought. (Sorry Mom!) Today's touched me and it expresses better than I could what needed to be said on this day.

I hope Michael Powers from Heart Touchers is ok w/ me blogging his site and quoting today's email/article. If not, he can let me know and I'll remove it... and for the rest of you, if you don't like what the article says I challenge you to go do your own digging and see if this history is 'forgotten' or 'forbidden'?

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by Michael T. Powers

HISTORY FORGOTTEN

This is worth remembering, because it is true. It's familiar territory, but those of you that graduated from school after the early 60's were probably never taught this. Our courts have seen to that!

Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of "The Declaration of Independence" were orthodox, deeply committed, Christians?

That they all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention.

It is the same Congress that formed the American Bible Society, immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people of this nation.

Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death"; but in current textbooks, the context of these words is omitted.

Here is what he actually said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."

These sentences have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a Christian?

The following year, 1776, he wrote this: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."

Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the front of his well-worn Bible: "I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator."

He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role.

On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: "It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles ofcivil government with the principles of Christianity."

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools."

William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln called him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation."Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey:

"The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our nation, on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free Institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible, I make no apology."

Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636...

In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies, is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: "We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."

Today, we are asking God to bless America. But, how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him?

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks.

Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.

Let you and I share the truth of our nation's history and let it be told.

"The best service that can be rendered to a Country, next to that of giving it liberty, is in diffusing the mental improvement equally essential to the preservation, and the enjoyment of the blessing." --James Madison

"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." --James Madison

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Daily e-mail/article by Michael Powers via web-site... www.HeartTouchers.com

In memoriam... 

Memories of my cousin Lonnie (July '05)

Lonnie left many footprints in my life. Even as a 9 year old I could see how highly he regarded the importance of solitude. Lonnie was an artist... we would often find him lost in his drawings. I'm convinced he created his own cartoon character so he could draw himself into the scenes along w/ the other well knowns. Lonnie was a musician... and "becoming one" with that guitar was one of his favorite pastimes. Lonnie was "cool"... he was quiet... he was a thinker... he had a gentle soul... he loved deeply... he dreamt big...

And when he was with us, his younger cousins, he laughed and played and was competitive and was loud and he pushed his luck while pushing the limits and disobeyed and was a bad example. He was a normal kid playing with the other kids and pestering the family dog and ...

These are my sweet memories of Lonnie... I remember a lot of laughter. I remember the games we would play in the upper room at Grampa & Gramma's house... the old-fashioned toys that were once our moms' toys. I remember the jokes he would tell and his excellent laugh. He had a smile that beamed confidence and exuberance. I remember the times he would hide from us simply because he needed some quiet time. I remember that his creativity and his imagination would sometimes surprise me.

And I remember feeling so much loss when I got the news that he was gone. Since he died 10 years ago no one has replaced or can take away what Lonnie left with me in our short time together. Lonnie... as the anniversary of your death is here, and then your birthdate shortly thereafter... we want you to know that your life is still affecting ours. You will always be in our hearts! Thank you for what you taught us in your 20+ years of living with us... we miss you every day!