Saturday December 5 2015  PEACE ABOUT FOREVER

Last evening was very enjoyable.  We joined our friends at church for a delicious pot luck dinner and then a show afterward.  The “show” was actually the children’s Christmas Pageant.  Though we do not have any children to watch in the pageant we love to attend.  My heart is always so sad when I look up on the stage and do not see our grandchildren participating.  I hope one year before they outgrow their childhood that they will have the opportunity to attend church consistently enough to be able to sing about the wonders of Christmas and the birth of Christ at the Children’s Christmas Pageant.  I would just love to see that performance.

The pageant was absolutely precious.  There is no entertainment better that a mass of children who are all trying to do their best and their best is just priceless.  There was a smile on my face all during the production as well as all the way home.  Their sincerity and innocence combined, creates memorable heartfelt moments.  The audience was full of beaming parents and grandparents.  I think the children’s pageant is my favorite Christmas service each December.

There is another special event we hope to attend tomorrow afternoon at the State Capitol building.  It is a group of children from all the area schools who combine to perform the story of Christmas, in still life acting, and singing.  Once upon a time there were fliers that were sent home by the schools informing the families of the opportunity to be part of the Christmas program.  I don’t know if you have ever heard of the name Anne Gaylor and her daughter Annie Laurie Gaylor who spear-headed the “Freedom from Religion” movement that began right here in Wisconsin in 1976, and which was incorporated nationally in 1978.  Now the schools are not allowed to advertise the event and the children must sign up outside of school to take part in the Capitol pageant.  The production is held in the Capitol’s Rotunda on thesecond floor,  The upper floors of the rotunda are also used for the still life acts of the Christ Child scene in the stables, and for the angels.  It is a magnificent depiction of the story of Christ with beautiful singing from the choir and musicians playing background music.  There is also a harpist also that adds so much to the event.  

On the bottom floor of the rotunda stands a very tall Christmas tree that goes up through the circle balcony above and can be seen at eye level on the second floor where the music and acting take place.  During our previous governor’s administration it was called the “The Holiday Tree”.  The current governor and his administration call it what it is, “A Christmas Tree”.   On the ground floor of the Capitol, next to the Christmas tree, there are always disclaimers about “mixing religion and state”.  Here is what The Freedom From Religion Foundation has on a large sign sitting in front of the Christmas Tree on the ground floor.  This is what is written on one of the disclaimers:

“At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail.  There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.  There is only our natural world.  Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”  Freedom From Religion Foundation

I find it interesting, that though the pagaent is kept totally separate from the schools, that the school children in the area make ornaments at school and the ornaments are then donated each year to decorate the Capitol Christmas Tree.  They are beautiful due to each child’s unique imagination.  We try to attend every year to support the fact that we can still sing about the birth of Christ in a state run facility.  Just who is it exactly that owns and pays for the building?  I believe the last time I checked it was “we the people”.  And I also don’t remember our Constitution stating that we have “freedom from religion”.  Rather, and I quote from the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

“Prohibits the making of any law RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, impeding the FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION, abridging the freedom of  speech,…” 

So, the way I see it, we have the freedom to express our religion when and where we like, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation has their right to the freedom of speech in their signage.  But look out people!  A lot of our freedoms are being eroded DAILY by laws that seem to go against what our constitution states.  Stand up for our Constitution and do not allow the government take our freedoms from us.

I actually did not mean to get on a high horse about the Capitol pageant, however, since I still have freedom of speech and the right to say what I want to say, I will speak the truth as I see it. 

Now, I would like to address the two poems I included at the bottom of yesterday’s blog.  I was informed that they didn’t make a lot of sense and that I am also sometimes difficult to understand.  So, if any others found that to be true, I do apologize.  I have taken 26 words that are normal every day words, and written poems that are the “spiritual” definition as to what I think the word means.   The first word I wrote about was ATTENTION.  The poem following that title best describes to me the spiritual aspect of what that word means to me.

The second poem I wrote about was the definition of IMAGINATION.  That poem may have been easier to distinguish the word which I defined by the poem.  Perhaps they were both just a big flop but I did put a lot of time and effort into their creation.  Sorry if it was a waste of your time to read.

This morning was a wonderful morning because I had all my workouts at the gym taken care of for the week and did not need to go today.  That always makes me feel as if I really have a day off.  So I spent the morning it in my library going through books which I bought on my trip.  I read parts of several and found the ones I will be studying this coming year.  One is a book by A.W. Tozer “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY”.  Oh my goodness!  I am so looking forward to each chapter.  It is amazing how he opens up the meaning of who God is!  I think I may look up some of his other titles.  I also found a very interesting little something in one of the other books I discovered.  I will try to remember to tell you more about it this week.  It is too involved to write about today due to the length this blog already is.  So I will close with the poem I wrote this morning as I studied about God and who He is. 

PEACE ABOUT FOREVER

By Kathleen Martens

December 5, 2015

No matter how many times

I may walk away,

Jesus always beckons

Come, and with Me stay.

When I forget to say my prayers

The Holy Spirit taps my shoulder,

And speaks to me in loving voice,

“It is your prayers that make you bolder.

Lean not on self, but give trust

To the Lord who reigns on high.

Seek first the Kingdom of God

And all else will come nigh.”

And He receives me with open arms

And with love He fills me up.

And He bids me come and stay

And on His word to sup.

For there is no greater burden

Than facing eternity unknown.

But when I put my trust in God,

Peace is forever my own.

I hope this poem was a bit easier to understand.

Good night and God bless each one reading these words.  It is but 4:15 p.m. and it is dark, but in my heart a light shines brighter than the sun.  Or maybe I should say, “BRIGHT AS THE SON”.