Dear God, you tell me to pray for my leaders. I am trying. It is not easy, believe me. And I feel quite alone and troubled that it is this difficult a struggle. I do pray that the inauguration goes well, that all stay safe, that it's a joyous occasion. I will be praying.But I won't be watching.
Amen
z
30 comments:
We are supposed to pray for our leaders to do the right thing, but we are not under any obligation to approve of them, if they are not.
That was a very classy prayer Z. Well done. I'll be watching the swearing in, I haven't missed one in a long time. It's still a wonder that we hand over such power peacefully.
LA I agree with you 100%. I will pray to our Maker that Obama does the RIGHT thing, NOT the left thing! :-)
Morgan
I second what LA Sunsett say.
I will be watching, however. For one thing, I want to see what the networks and YouTube edit out.
It may be a good evening to get out a board game and have a picnic in front of the fireplace.
dont even get me started Z..ugh..but HAPPY SUNDAY TO U!.:)
That says nicely how I often feel, too, Z. It is hard to pray for our leaders these days. I try to remind myself that when God sent the Jews into Babylon He told them to pray for their captor nation because things would go for them as they go for the nation, and we're officially going into Babylon now, don't you think?
Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Don't get me started either. The transfer of power will happen whether I watch or not. I choose to read a good book.
Thank you for the prayer...
Prayer does work...
Taking a 'rest' today -Right to Life Sunday...
Tomorrow I'll start me 'thesis':-) for an Emancipation Proclamation for the un-born US citizen...
Do you think B.H.O (ie: the new Lincoln) would be willing?!
that would be ... MY 'thesis' :-)
Have a great Sunday!!!
I plan on not watching - I have more important things to do.
As I've said before, I will be watching the inauguration. I always have, every one, I see no reason to stop now.
Between you and me, I don't have to like it!
You're not alone Z, If I pray for Obama, it would be that no one commits violence against him. No matter how I feel about him, I would not want something like that to happen.
Also, America needs our prayers, of that I'm sure.
Pris
Very nice Z. THe good/bad thing about living in a democracy is that our platform isn't always the winning platform...but we must stay true to the course.
BO is now my President, and I will support him as the leader of this great nation...and work like a dog to make sure he's only my President for 4 years.
God bless America.
tony c - I like what you said on your blog under 'about me'.
I think it is meet, right, and salutary to pray for our president. We're talking about FOR, not TO, right?
I do not find it to be a contrived effort to pray that Obama will make wise decisions. We pray for someone's health when we think it to be in danger, not so much when we believe them to be perfectly healthy.
--Tio Bowser
TONY C; I'm so glad you mention that and I hope I made that clear but probably I haven't.
Obama IS MY PRESIDENT (so help me, God) and I DO support my president.
MY POINT is that to pray for HIS success is silly because HIS success, HIS plans, are anethema to what conservatism is about, even what AMERICA has been about for the last 250 yrs...to what the values of self reliance and small government are...so I pray for AMERICA'S SUCCESS...I pray that the briefings Obama will be getting every day might show him where Bush wasn't quite as hideous a president as he believes and we are very threatened now by crazies around the world, and that most Americans really don't want redistribution of wealth...or at least successful, hard working Americans don't...and even some who don't make much but still DO believe in the American way.
Tio Bowser...ya, I THINK it's FOR the president...we don't have to pray TO him. yet.!! (very good, Tio!)
Z, I'm sorry I just now noticed your excellent prayer. Please know that you are NOT alone in your struggle. This is a dark & sad day for me, but inwardly it is just as joyous as any, since I am in Christ, & HE is my Savior. Oh well, I do want to be obedient, believe it or not, I prayed for Clinton, but for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I find it harder to pray for this one. I am ashamed to admit it. Prayer should be my greatest joy & it usually is, but I guess my flesh is at work. I gotta understand what LA said, that we are not commanded to approve of him. When I think of how the leader was the wicked old Nero when Paul & Peter wrote that we should pray for them, it makes praying for this man a little easier I guess! Oh well, my rumblings & ramblings are finished!
David, thank you. You never ramble..I'm glad you were here and commented. You are an inspiration.
Amen, Z.
Amen.
I won't watch, either.
I suppose it's the rebellious spirit rearing up in me. When people continually tell me that I HAVE TO WATCH something....you can bet that I WON"T WATCH.
I will watch it with my class. Every inauguration is important in an historical sense. I will put my personal feelings aside and be a teacher.
As I tell my students, my job isn't to tell them what to think, it is to teach them how to think and to make decisions based on facts and not on opinions.
Unlike some of my colleagues, I take my profession seriously and I value it above my own personal opinions. Inculcating students in any ideology is wrong and a perversion of ethics.
L&O...here's my take, and you won't like it.
Yes, I AGREE we should NOT indoctrinate.. but, GUESS WHAT! the LEFT's doing it and WE AREN'T!
So..generations............of lefties.
And, with OUR media and our teachers..we're done!!
Z,
Your point is well taken. I teach my students patriotism, ethics, scholarship, tolerance of differing opinions while arguing forcefully for yours, and appreciation for being an American.
I hope that this will lead them to see what works in government and what doesn't. An objective study of history amply illustrates that a market economy, republican form of government, and strong deeply held values will carry the day. Our history is filled with examples and evidence if you know where to look.
Believe it or not, a lot of kids are being raised with religious morals and respect for America by their parents. I hear them talk about it everyday in class.
I am concerned, but I am still optimistic.
L&O, I'm glad you came back....
Instead of indoctrination, it's education.....and the respect for others' viewpoints is so important.
But, mostly, I think something like this is in order? ..".....yes, that's a viewpoint many hold, but this other viewpoint is held because of this, this, and this, and those are valid points too and sometimes they're getting lost with what are really mischaracterizations by the media, etc..."
Might be interesting to cover the media and show kids the bias. I don't know. It can't be easy
I just know I'm sick and tired of the lib indoctrination I know is happening....and not teaching our kids to QUESTION.
I'm very happy to hear your kids speaking of morals, etc..I'm REALLY pleased!!
Z,
I know it is painfully slow and infinitely less satisfying, but I force myself to see that the students really explore all sides of the issues.
If they truly explore them in a scholarly manner, the best ideas, the ones with a true foundation will rise to the surface. Again slow, but I think, more lasting.
We use Howard Zinn's book "A People's History of the United States" in class discussion.
The book is a unique look at American history to say the least. The problem with it is that it is not a scholarly work, it is a borderline screed against America. He doesn't footnote, nor does he give evidence for his views, he twists facts to fit his own ideology.
I use the book to allow students to hone their historical knowledge by using inquiry to judge secondary sources for scholarship.
It is uncanny that high school students quickly recognize what the book is really all about. It does, however, generate some spirited discussion.
Students must learn to think critically about information that is fed to them by various sources. If they become informed consumers about information, we will be better off as a nation. Just some thoughts.
Howard "hate America first" Zinn is read in your classroom and they start to SEE his agenda and the unscholarliness of it? REALLY?
Well, I'd say that's the best way to teach, but I think it's a big risk!!! I guess what they get at home's influential, too. Maybe, these days, it's better their parents ARE NOT engaged!?
Or are they!? Do you find parental interest better than I hear and see?
Z,
These students are for the most part, pretty aware of what's going on. I use Zinn as foil to the textbook. We have good discussions on issues raised in both books.
Students are a lot more aware of things than I sometimes give them credit for. For example we had a very good discussion of Federalist #10 and #51. They are able to discern who is writing with knowledge and scholarship and who has an agenda/ideology.
I think that because they are aware of this type of junk history, when they are confronted with this type of leftist rant in college, they will already be vaccinated against it. Forewarned is forearmed.
Z,
These students are for the most part, pretty aware of what's going on. I use Zinn as foil to the textbook. We have good discussions on issues raised in both books.
Students are a lot more aware of things than I sometimes give them credit for. For example we had a very good discussion of Federalist #10 and #51. They are able to discern who is writing with knowledge and scholarship and who has an agenda/ideology.
I think that because they are aware of this type of junk history, when they are confronted with this type of leftist rant in college, they will already be vaccinated against it. As Woodrow (I'm not a fan, BTW) Wilson said, "Nothing chills nonsense like exposure to the air." Forewarned is forearmed.
As for parental involvment, most is pretty normal, how's my child doing? etc. The parents in our school are mainly supportive, however, that's not to say that everything is rosy. I haven't been confronted in a negative way by a parent, but some are clearly not involved and that's a shame.
Z,
Sorry about the double post, but some was cut out the first time. I took about three times to get it on. My apologies.
NO PROBLEM, L&O...just keep writing! Thanks.
Do you think your textbooks are pretty pro American? I keep hearing they skip all the good history and specialize in teaching our kids what filthy racists Americans have been...terrible stuff.
Cheer me up and tell me they're not all like that!!?
I'm thinking they'll start using Zinn in high schools with the new liberal Sec of Education, who's done a botch up job in Illinois...though I've read a little that shows he's on the beam in some ways. We can only hope, because Ayers and Obama's school organization is a miserable failure.
Z,
The textbook I use is called The American Pageant. It is pretty straight forward and is in wide usage in Advanced Placement courses. Military history is pretty much out nowadays in favor of social history, but this textbook is good.
Our department is almost all conservative teachers, with one kind of moderate, or as I call him, a dirty rotten commie. So the textbooks we use are "just the facts, ma'm."
As I was writing this it dawned on me that you may not have known I teach advanced classes. That has some bearing on the type of material I use. I hope that eases your mind. I wouldn't use Zinn in a regular class. Subtlety isn't most students strong suit.
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