Road Side Crosses

There are several places around Louisville where I see small white crosses by the side of the road. They often have a name and plastic flowers attached as a memorial to some one who died in an auto accident at that site.

If you travel much you will note that these memorials can be found along the highways all across the country. Sometimes there are places where the road is so dangerous that you see many crosses in the same place.

If nothing else those road side crosses should slow us down and help us think of our own safety.
Pray about it be fore you have a cross with your name one it by the side of the road.

Immigrations

On the base of the Statue of Liberty you can read this poem:

“Give me your tired, your poor.

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Some how these words ring true to our ears but that is not always the case. We have not always welcomed the people listed in that poem in fact many of them were not welcomed at all. It is a natural tendency to fear large groups of immigrants who stream into our country and work for next to nothing. Well employers love them but the working classes do not. “These people are taking our jobs.”  Is the cry in the streets protesting unbridled immigration.  

There is a litany of down trodden peoples who were the object of jokes and worse out and out violence. If you look in our history the Irish, Poles, Germans,  Jews, Italians, and any Asians were often limited and abused when they arrived. Now it is the Mexicans and Arabs that are feared.

America was settled by people who came from a far country. Even the Native Americans once emigrated from Asia and spread out over the land. My father’s people came for Germany and my mother’s came for Scotland and England to make a home here. Where did your families come from?

Can you welcome with open arms people who are oppressed you are yearning to breathe free?

Happy Independence Day

Happy Birthday America

235 years ago we rebelled against the King of England and declared our independence as the United States of America. It was not easy and we nearly lost several times but we held out until we exhausted the English will to keep fighting a war they could not win.

Today I give thanks to God for all the sacrifices that those brave men and women made for freedom and a new form of government. I am so thankful to be an American.

In 1911

The year is 1911  --- One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1911:

************ ********* ************

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
 

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
 

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
 

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
 

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
 

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

 

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
 

The average US wage in 1911 was 22 cents per hour.
 

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
 

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year,

a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,

and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
 

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home .
 

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which

were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
 

Sugar cost four cents a pound.
 

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
 

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
 

Most women only washed their hair once a month,

and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
 

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from

entering into their country for any reason.

 

The Five leading causes of death were:
 

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
 

The American flag had 45 stars...
 

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!
 

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

 

There was niether a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.
 

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent

of all Americans had graduated from high school.

 

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter

at the local corner drugstores.

 

Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion,

gives buoyancy to the mind, Regulates the stomach and bowels,

and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!"

 ( Shocking? )

 

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help .....
 

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !
 

 

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years

Religious Freedoms

When William Penn established the Pennsylvania colony he incorporated the idea of "Religious Tolerance" or freedom of religion. That concept was included in our Constitution in the Bill of Rights. I believe that it is a very good thing and makes all of our religions stronger.

No one can be forced by the government to abide by any one religious belief system. Each church group or religious group must prosper on its own merits.

For me to have my right to worship as I please it is necessary that I allow my neighbor to also have the right to worship [or not worship] as he or she pleases. I will tolerate their religion no matter how wrong I may think it is.

This is one of the freedoms we have fought to protect and should live to embrace.

The Pledge for Freedom

Here we are on a long Fourth of July week-end. Some are on a mini-vacation enjoying some time off from work. Some have to work anyway so the holiday doesn’t matter. We have among us people from other lands who are glad to have the time off but could care less about the reason. One “Brit” that I know referred to the “So called American revolution.”

For those of us who do understand the meaning of  this holiday and fly our flags, celebrate with friends and family and watch the fireworks displays, this is a most important event. In 1776 Americans pledged their lives, their wealth, and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom and independence from the King of England. That was a pledge that started our country and has been renewed over and over again with each passing  year.

Even today young men and women are pledging their lives, their wealth and their sacred honor in service to America. In order to maintain our freedom and independence renewing that pledge is vital. As a Viet Nam veteran I remember making that pledge and still honor it along with the friends who shed their blood in full devotion to that pledge.

If you enjoy your freedom this week-end thank a vet and if you see someone in the uniform of our military express your gratitude for their pledge.  

Pay Your Dues

Last April I received a notice that my dues for the Toastmasters Club were due. Like most of you who belong to clubs the annual dues is naturally a part of life. I pay my dues gladly because I agreed to them when I joined and I believe in what the club is doing for me.

You must pay your dues... In fact belonging to a community club can be a part of paying your dues to live in a thriving community. Some clubs like Toastmasters are for self-improvement and others clubs like Optimist, provide service to the community.

The question might arise, "How do we pay our dues to God?"

                                     What belongs to God?

That was part of the question in Matthew 22 when the Pharisees and Herodians were asking Jesus about paying taxes to Rome. The Dues and you can read that as taxes, were due to the Emperor in Rome. Their religious dues were the tithe and that was the ten percent due the Temple according to scripture.

It had been a question they meant to trap Jesus. The Pharisees and Herodians who challenged Jesus' opinion with the question on taxed are described by the text as being filled with malice. For Jesus to say yes to paying Roman taxes would make the Jews angry. Say no and make the Romans angry. Yes or No? It was bad news either way. But Jesus did not answer with yes or no, as expected. His answer was to the question ownership.

Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's. It was a truly amazing answer!