" A date that shall live in infamy.."..

December 7th, 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

We all know of that devastating moment. Indeed, as President Roosevelt so succinctly stated, it was "a date that shall live in infamy"

What is not known or even quoted was Winston Churchill's response on hearing the news of this infamous event.

He exclaimed: "Our prayers have been answered."

Not that he was rejoicing in the hell and destruction that had rained down on Hawaii, but that he knew that America would now become involved in Britain's war with Germany.

You know the rest of the story.

Is it not strange what God will do to awaken a sleeping giant?

Yes, and is it not also strange that what is seen as a calamity by some may be a cause of rejoicing for others?

The cry of "havoc" in your circumstances today  may have changed to a heartfelt "Hallelujah" by tomorrow.

Romans 8:28

Just a thought.

Ian

sincere apologies. Technical hitch.

 

Yesterday we had problems with our transmission. What Ken called "a bird on the wire". It must have been mocking bird because we didn't fix things until this morning! Here is our post for December 6th.

A hundred years ago Santa would not have had this problem:
 the Wright brothers were just about off the ground in their first air-plane.

Living in the 21st Century has its challenges.

We used to sing a song

 "You better get in, get out or get run over."

We used that thought in encouraging people to make a permanent, irrevocable decision to follow Christ, but it could apply to all major choices in life.

Yoda, more recently, said "Do or do not: there is no try"

Maybe you are facing a big decision today? Take a deep breath, trust God and do it. If you procrastinate you may finish up being run over with Santa.

Ian

Santa exposed

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Among other traumatic memories of my childhood was  that of Christmas 1945, when a precocious child called Pat Pitchfork broke the secret that there was no Santa Claus.

I still remember the very place she informed me.

 "How could this be?" I asked.

 My father put out the fire on Christmas Eve so that the old man would not get scorched coming down the chimney and, besides that, he always drank his milk and ate his biscuit that were left out for him.

Scornfully Pat replied that only babies believed such a story. It was my Dad play acting.

The evidence of the hoax was provided the next day when my sister Anne showed me where the presents were hid in my parent's wardrobe.

So much for Father Christmas but not for the Christmas story.

In my seventy years a host of atheists, agnostics, infidels, intellectuals and liberal preachers have tried to break down the stable door and prove that the story of the Virgin birth of the Son of God was a myth.

They have come and they have gone: Hitchins, Huxley, Dawkins and Russell, but this year I will be singing carols and exulting in the great Advent story with the same joy as I did as five year old nearly seven decades ago.

I hope you will be too.

Hallelujah for Christmas.

Ian

The Rhode Island Christmas fiasco

Amazing in his defiance of the will of the Rhode Island legislature and brazen in passing off his "Holiday Tree" as an example of religious tolerance, the Governor, Lincoln Chafee has ignited a fire storm.

He has suddenly found that thousands of Rhode Islanders like their decorated trees called by the name "Christmas" and by no other title; especially that of  "Holiday Tree".

Some years ago when our county school board banned all creches, trees and carols from our schools, I led a 600 member protest to the Board offices.

At a certain point in my deposition I asked how it was possible that the Board could ban Christmas Trees from schools and still have a 16 foot tall spruce erected in the reception area of their offices?

Their case collapsed and, after their recantations, Christmas was given back to thousands of area children.

Help is also on the way in Rhode Island.

State representative, Doreen Costa, saying that she is "Sick of political correctness" is setting up her own tree across  from the capitol building and it will be lit at the same time as the official tree.

It will be much smaller, but I bet you Christmas bells to Christmas pudding that it will draw a bigger crowd.

Hallelujah for Christmas and all it stands for.

Ian