Birthday thoughts...

4th of July.... What does it mean to you?

Today at lunch I attended a "indoor" picnic at church. About 50 Senior Adults, and some that were not so "senior" gathered together to each picnic food and to hear from Chris Benge, who is the Speaker of the House in Oklahoma. He did a good job of talking about his responsibilities, and then giving some thoughts about "What is right with America." It was nice to hear someone talk positively about our country.

After being in Israel last spring, I have come to appreciate the freedom of our country even more. While driving through the central part of Israel, we crossed into Jordan. That was not a huge deal, because we were just driving through, but it is a little unnerving to drive through a check point and see millitary personell with machine guns standing there.

After this weeks terrorist attach on Jaffa Street in Jersualem, ( a Palestinian got ahold of a front end loader and ran into cars and busses, killing 3, before he was shot to death by Israeli millitary), I thought about how safe we really are in America. It is amazing how we can come and go with little fear.

The rescue of the hostages (including 2 Americans) in Columbia brought this home even more. Some of those people had been hostages for 10 years! They were held in deplorable and inhuman condiitons. The woman in the groups said that the treatment they recieved was not fit for an animal or even a plant!

Again, we have very little fear of that happening to us here.

These and other examples demonstrate what an amazing country we live in. Speaker of the House Benge said that the establishment of this "representative republic" is the greatest experiment in human history. I think politically this is true.

However, we have to acknowledge that this "experiment" is only 232 years old. That is not all that old as countries go. We would do well to learn more from the mistakes of nations gone by to see what it is that led to their downfall. When you think that humankind is no more than 6,000 yeers old , 232 years is not that long.

This morning, as I sat in my nice home, in the middle of the USA , I looked into the eyes of baby Grace. I wondered what kind of world she would live in 18 years. What would be the headlines? What will the price of a gallon of gasoline cost? Who will be the President of the United States be? What will be the influence of Hollywood, media, and technology?

I can't answer those questions with any certainty. But I look at her and I know one thing. There is a God... He loves that little girl more than any of us could. He sent Jesus to save her from her sins...and she lives in the greatest land in the world. How can anyone look at a little baby like this and not see God?

All of that is a pretty good start on a pretty good life. And with how things are changing around us... God is the one she can hang on to, no matter how rough the ride gets.

Good thoughts for all of us.

Happy Birthday America!