A Christmas Prayer...

Today is Christmas. Most importantly it is the day in which many people celebrate the first advent of Jesus Christ. For most of us it also is a time to celebrate family and be with our loved ones. It is no different for me.

This morning I am watching Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel. They just showed a video package that really pulled on my heart and caused this bearded boy to cry. It was a video of families greeting their loved ones. Loved ones who have been away from their families in a far away land for a long time. These men and women who were welcomed home for Christmas by their husbands, wives, kids, and other loved ones are members of the United States Armed Forces.

These folks are just like you and I, except they have committed their time and their lives to establishing, protecting, and defending freedom at home and abroad, even on Christmas Day. Some of these are men and women who have not seen those they love for a long time. Instead of gift-wrapped presents, they have and will receive bullets fired at them and mortars raining down around them during this time when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Some have been busy defending freedom and liberty instead of celebrating the birth of a child they have never seen or instead of mourning a family member who has passed on while they are away. Some have been establishing a political culture of democracy in the Middle East while their wive struggle with not having a husband around to fulfill the role of a husband and their kids struggle with remembering what it feels like to have daddy at home, giving them a hug, and tucking them into bed every night.

My prayer for Christmas is this:

Lord God - I thank You for Your love and Your grace. I thank You for the gift of your Son, Who set aside His glorious life in Heaven so that He might come to earth, bring glory to You, and to make permanent atonement for those who You chose before the foundation of the world.

As all good things flow from You, I also thank You for the opportunity to be with my family on this day. However, there are those who are unable to be with their loved ones for various reasons during this Christmas season. I ask that You would be their comfort in this difficult time and that You will allow them to be with their families again. Most of all, I recognize that You are the Sovereign Ruler over all of creation and that nothing happens outside of Your direction and/or permission, and with that recognition I ask that Your will be done and that everything that ever happens will bring glory to You in the end.

Once again, I thank You for everything that is, was, and will be. I love You and I look forward to the day when I can spend Christmas Day with You in Your presence. I say and ask these things in the most beautiful name of Jesus...Amen.

As for those of you who are reading, have Merry Christmas and Soli Deo Gloria!

The Peaceful Transfer of Power - Air Force One. Dallas TX, November 22, 1963

In our first edition of "The Peaceful Transfer of Power", we will take a look at the first swearing-in of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

On the morning of November 22, 1963 Lyndon Johnson was the Vice President of the United States under President John F. Kennedy. Johnson was chosen by Kennedy to be his V.P. candidate in 1960 to help his campaign win the southern states in the country. As a Catholic from Massachusetts, JFK knew that if he was going to win the Presidency he would need a man with Johnson's southern reputation like Johnson to get the votes he needed. Kennedy and Johnson won the election of 1960 and went on to the White House.

Johnson, a member of the House of Representatives from Texas from 1937 to 1949, and a Senator from Texas from 1949 to 1961, was used to getting alot done in the halls of congress throughout his political career. One he ascended to the Vice-Presidency, however, he was held under with no real power and little to no influence in the JFK administration.

In late November of 1963, Kennedy was already campaigning for reelection in the vote of '64. He chose to go to Texas and capitalize on his association with the "hometown boy." On the afternoon of November 22, Kennedy's Presidential motorcade rolled through the streets of Dallas amid the cheers from a crowd that Kennedy held in the palm of his hand. Riding with President & Mrs. Kennedy was Texas Governor, John Connally and his wife, Nellie. Vice-President Johnson rode in a car behind the President's.

After turning onto Elm St. heading into Dealey Plaza, Nellie Connally remarked to President Kennedy "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you." Right after these words were spoken, shots rang out from crowd noise and blood splattered everywhere in the Presidential limousine. The President had been hit and it was looking gruesome. The motorcade swiftly got out of Dealey Plaza and rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Once inside, the medical staff did all they could to save the young President, but it was too late. At 1:00 PM CST, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was pronounced dead. Johnson was at the hospital at that moment.

The U.S. Constitution provides that should the president die or become disabled while in office, the "powers and duties" of the office are transferred to the Vice President. Thus, at the moment of President Kennedy's death, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the President of the United States.


After leaving the hospital, President Johnson and a small group of reporters rushed to Love Field in Dallas where Air Force One was parked. Johnson had been on the phone with Attorney General Robert Kennedy (brother of the slain President) moments earlier and was told to take the oath before getting airborn. Once inside the plane, Johnson requested Federal District Judge Sarah Hughes of Dallas to come to the plane to administer the oath. With her husbands body now on the plane, the newly widowed Jacqueline Kennedy sent word that she wished to attend but needed a few minutes to compose herself.


Mrs. Kennedy entered the conference room aboard the plane, still in the two-piece, blood stained, pink wool suit she had worn in the motorcade. Johnson took her gently by the hand, placing her to his left. Mrs. Johnson stood on his right. With the heat inside the plane being unbearable, Johnson asked for a glass of ice water. A Bible could not be found on the plane but President Kennedy's personal catholic missal was found and was prepared for Johnson to place his hand upon. Once the microphone and the cameraman were in place, Johnson placed his left hand on the missal and raised his right and Lyndon Baines Johnson took the Presidential Oath of Office.


The days following this historic moment were filled with sadness, confusion, and questions. It is my personal belief that President Kennedy's assassination was orchestrated by Johnson and a group of conspirators. Regardless, Johnson has been looked on by Democrats with high regard and historians rank him fairly well.

Today at Love Field, there is almost nothing to remind us of the historic events that transpired in it's bounds. The area where Air Force One sat there is now a part of a DHL shipping operation.

The plane, SAM 26000, then known as Air Force One, was retired from serving Presidents in 1998. It is now a part of an exhibit on Presidential aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force where it has been opened up for tours. The interior has been restored to it's appearance during the Johnson Presidency.

The Peaceful Transfer of Power - Introduction

On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama II will (weather permitting) stand on the West Front of the United States Capitol and take the Oath of Office to become the 44th President of the United States. Ever since George Washington became our nation's first President, every man to hold the highest elected office in our land has marked his ascension to power by reciting the following 35 words as prescribed by the United States Constitution.

"I (, full name typically inserted here,) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This ceremony and all of the hype that usually comes along with it is often referred to as The Inauguration. As of 2008, the Presidential Oath of Office has been recited by 42 different men on 69 different occasions. Five of those times, the Oath was taken twice by the same man to initiate the same term for different reasons between the five occurrences. 24 different locations have played host to the event in or around 10 different buildings and 1 aircraft. These locations have been in 6 different cities, in 4 different states and 1 federal district.

With all of this information, you can probably tell that the Inaugural ceremony has not always been as "cut and dried" as it may seem. Certainly the Inaugurations we see on TV today have been well scripted events but it is not always so rehearsed. Death, weather, mystery and other circumstances have made the history of taking "the Oath" an interesting subject for me to study over the past month and now I will begin relaying some of these interesting little facts to anyone who cares to read my blog. Starting with a new blog later today we will take a look at every Presidential Inauguration by location. We will start with the one that took place the furthest away from the West Front of the United States Capitol and work our way around to the place where President-Elect Obama will presumably stand to take the Oath of Office. Stay tuned for later today when we take a look at what may have been the least "peaceful transfer of power" this country has ever seen.

It is Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us again. Personally I am celebrating my 24th Thanksgiving and it's been 387 years since the traditional first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.

As I reflect on the year and the years gone by I could compile a huge list of the people, places, and things I am thankful for and to. I'll not list everyone/thing, but here is a short list.

I am thankful to our sovereign God, not only for what He does for me, but what he does to me most of all. I am thankful for God's sovereignty over all things.

I am thankful for/to my earthly family.

I am thankful for/to my family that God has so graciously grafted me into.

I am thankful for my job. It's not much, but it's more than some people have.

Now for a short list of specifics...

I'm thankful for...
- my Dad: that he is still with us for another Thanksgiving and has always been a real life super hero to me. Even in all of his weakness, his strength and God's strength in him shine through brighter than ever.

- my Mom: for being strong when no one else can be and for holding everything at the home front together.

- The Young (Ryan, Hillary, Kenzie, Riah, and Truth) and the Edwards (Aaron, Danielle, Natalie, and the to-be-born/unnamed baby) families: for welcoming me into their lives and for being wonderful examples of Christ in this world and in my life.

- Boo: for being the best big brother I could ever have. Even though you prayed for me to be, you are just as much a blessing to me.

- Joe: for being my other "big" brother. It's an honor and a privilege to know you and to be considered your friend. Thanks for letting me share in so many of your life experiences and for having me over to play Rock Band all the time :)

- my nieces (Savannah and Jaclyn) and nephew (Jordan): for keeping things light and just being kids. They force us all to be a bit younger.

- my cousin Starla: for all of her prayers, love, and friendship. She's always been there when I needed her, regardless of the many distances between us.

- Brandon, Josh, Matt, Kat, Mel, and Johnny: you guys help me stay sane and have been the some of the best friends God could have given me. Even if we don't hang out and talk everyday, I know that I can count on you guys to have my back if I needed you to stand beside me in a fight or to catch me if I fall.

...and with slight humor I also add...

Harmonix: for creating such a fun game to play whether it's just me or it's with friends.

I'm thankful for you taking the time to read this, and till next time, be thankful...

What Happened Whensday: September 24, 2008

This is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 98 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.

1180 - Manuel I Komnenos, last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration dies. The Byzantine Empire slips into terminal decline.

1664 - The Netherlands surrenders New Amsterdam to England.

1789 - The office of the Attorney General of the United States of America, and the United States Post Office Department, are established.

1841 - The Sultan of Brunei cedes Sarawak to Britain.

1852 - The first airship powered by (a steam) engine, created by Henri Giffard, travels 17 miles (27 km) from Paris to Trappes.

1869 - "Black Friday": Gold prices plummet after Ulysses S. Grant orders the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market.

1877 - Battle of Shiroyama, decisive victory of the Imperial Japanese Army over the Satsuma Rebellion

1890 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy.

1903 - Edmund Barton steps down as Prime Minister of Australia and is succeeded by Alfred Deakin.

1906 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower the nation's first National Monument.

1935 - Earl Bascom and Weldon Bascom produce the first rodeo ever held outdoors under electric lights at Columbia, Mississippi

1946 - Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong

1947 - Majestic 12 is allegedly established by secret executive order of President Harry Truman

1948 - The Honda Motor Company is founded.

1950 - Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England. A Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe.

1957 - Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona.
1957 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation.

1962 - United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith.

1973 - Guinea-Bissau declares its independence from Portugal.

1990 - Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn

1994 - National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and various others to help fight against dictatorship in Myanmar.

1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.

2005 - Hurricane Rita makes landfall in the United States, devastating Beaumont, Texas and portions of southwestern Louisiana.


Births

1725 - Sir Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (d. 1803)
1755 - John Marshall, 4th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1835)
1921 - Jim McKay, American sportscaster (d. 2008)
1936 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer (d. 1990)
1941 - Linda McCartney, American singer (d. 1998)
1945 - Lou Dobbs, American journalist
1946 - "Mean" Joe Greene, American football player
1961 - Allen Bestwick, Nascar broadcaster
1965 - Sean McNabb, American bassist (Quiet Riot, Great White, Rough Cutt, House of Lords)
1976 - Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, American professional wrestler


[edit] Deaths

366 - Pope Liberius
1143 - Pope Innocent II

What Happened Whensday: September 17, 2008

This is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 105 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought.

1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec) is fought during Thirteen Years' War.

1577 - Peace of Bergerac signed between Henry III of France and the Huguenots.

1630 - The city of Boston, Massachusetts, is founded.

1631 - Sweden wins a major victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld against the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years War.

1776 - The Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain.

1778 - Treaty of Fort Pitt signed, the first formal treaty between the United States and a Native American tribe (the Lenape or Delaware).

1787 - The United States Constitution is signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1809 - Peace between Sweden and Russia in the Finnish War. The territory to become Finland is ceded to Russia by the Treaty of Fredrikshamn.

1814 - Francis Scott Key finishes his The Star-Spangled Banner poem.

1859 - Joshua A. Norton declares himself Emperor Norton I of the United States.

1862 - American Civil War: George B. McClellan halts the northward drive of Robert E. Lee's Confederate army in the single-day Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history.
1862 - American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion resulted in the single largest civilian disaster during the war

1894 - Battle of Yalu River, the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War.

1900 - Philippine-American War: Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat Americans under Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham at Mabitac.

1908 - The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes; killing Selfridge. He becomes the first airplane fatality.

1914 - Andrew Fisher becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.

1916 - World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, won his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France.

1920 - Sports: National Football League is organized in Canton, Ohio, United States.

1924 - The Border Defence Corps was established in the Second Polish Republic for the defence of the eastern border against armed Soviet raids and local bandits.

1928 - The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards of 2,500 people. It is the third deadliest natural disaster in US history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

1939 - The Soviet Union joined Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland during the Polish Defensive War of 1939.
1939 - World War II: A German U-boat U 29 sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous.

1941 - A decree of the Soviet State Committee of Defense, restoring Vsevobuch in the face of the Great Patriotic War, was issued

1943 - Russian city of Bryansk liberated from Nazis.

1944 - Allied Airborne troops parachute into the Netherlands as the "Market" half of Operation Market Garden.

1947 - James V. Forrestal was sworn in as the first Secretary of Defense of United States.

1948 - Lehi (also known as the Stern gang) assassinates Count Folke Bernadotte, who was appointed by the UN to mediate between the Arabs and Jews.

1949 - The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbor with the loss of over 118 lives.

1956 - Television was first broadcast in Australia.

1957 - The North East Humanists group was founded in Newcastle upon Tyne.

1970 - Fighting breaks out along the Syria-Jordanian border between Jordanian troops and the fedayeen.

1976 - The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, was unveiled by NASA.

1978 - The Camp David Accords were signed by Israel and Egypt.

1980 - After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.
1980 - Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.

1981 - ProWrestling: Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship

1983 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America.

1991 - North Korea, South Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.
1991 - The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet.

1993 - Last Russian troops leave Poland.

2000 - ProWrestling: Booker T defeated Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heaveyweight Championship

2003 - ProWrestling: Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship

2004 - Tamil is declared the first classical language in India.

2007 - AOL, once the largest ISP in the U.S., officially announces plans to refocus the company as an advertising business and to relocate its corporate headquarters from Dulles, Virginia to New York, New York.


Births:

1550 - Pope Paul V (d. 1621)
1907 - Warren Burger, 15th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1995)
1923 - Hank Williams, American musician (d. 1953)
1928 - Roddy McDowall, English actor (d. 1998)
1931 - Anne Bancroft, American actress (d. 2005)
1945 - Phil Jackson, American basketball player and NBA head coach
1948 - John Ritter, American actor (d. 2003)
1963 - Masahiro Chono, Japanese professional wrestler
1965 - Bryan Singer, American director
1969 - Keith Flint, Member of the British band The Prodigy
1974 - Rasheed Wallace, American basketball player
1975 - Jimmie Johnson, American race car driver


Deaths:

1899 - Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American industrialist (b. 1842)
1996 - Spiro Agnew, Vice President of the United States (b. 1918)
1997 - Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (b. 1913)
2006 - Patricia Kennedy Lawford, American socialite (b. 1924)

9/11: Today We Remember and We Shall Never Forget

Seven years ago today our nation and her citizens were attacked by radical Muslim terrorists in New York City, Washington D.C. and Somerset County, PA.

Nearly 3000 people were killed and over 6200 people were injured. I pray that God will comfort those who still grieve the loss of their loved ones.

Everything happens for a reason, and I know that while we may never see it in this lifetime, God has and will be glorified in light of and through the tragic events of that day.

May God bless the victims who survived, the families of the victims who did not, and may God continue to bless America.

In all things to God be the glory.


**Edit**
My 9/11 Story:

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I got up and went to school as I had the day before. It was the early days of my senior year at Word of Life Christian Academy. A little bit after 9:30 AM, as I sat at my desk, I noticed my teacher and several of my classmates acting sorta weird. These classmates were relatives of my teacher. They had looks of worry and fear on their faces. I took it upon myself to ask the teacher what was going on. She told me that everything was fine and to go back to my desk. I knew that she was feeding me a line of shit (no offense Mrs. Cadzow, I still love ya!).

After another 15 minutes passed I got up and told the teacher that I wanted to see my Mom, who was working in the kitchen to prepare lunches. On my way out, a different teacher stopped me crying and asked me if I was coming to the principal's office to pray. I asked her what was going on. She told me that people were ramming jets into buildings and that they had hit the World Trade Center towers. At the time, I wasn't even sure what the WTC towers looked like. She also said that the Pentagon had been hit and the White House could be next. We went to the principal's office where every staff member (all 10 of them) was huddled around the radio waiting for the newest CBS News Alert. After that we all paused and and prayed for God's protection and grace.

My Mom and I left at about 10:30 AM to go home and be with my Dad and Ms. Sandy (a lady who lived with us at the time). The rest of the day was spent in shock, horror, sadness, disbelief, and towards the end, being pissed off as I sat and watched these events unfold.

Last October, I had the pleasure of visiting the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. While looking at many items of historical significance, I noticed an old-looking, rusty piece of steel on a stand in a corner. I wasn't really interested in it at first, but my brother says "Hey, what is that?" as he points to the object. I walked over and only after reading the tag under it did I realize that I was looking at a piece of I-beam from one of the WTC towers. I was in awe and somewhat reverent of this piece of national history and horror that was my generations "Day of Infamy." I leave you today with a photo of that very piece of American history.