Patriotic Hymns

You know the songs I'm sure...and I'm sure you've sang them all before, like this one:
"My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing"
Or this one:
"O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain..."

And many others like it, such as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Glory, Glory Hallelujah) and the Star Spangle Banner.

What strikes me about these songs is where they can be found (and where for many years was among the few places to find them), and that is the hymnals in the pews of churches across the country. For those who can't remember, a hymnal is that book in the rack in the pew next to Bible...it hardly ever gets opened anymore.

What I think is so strange about that is the fact that with faith being such a big thing in politics and news anymore we seem to have forgotten our political roots. (See previous blog). I'm not saying that you have to be a Christian to be an American, or to be considered a patriot. Not by any means! But what is frustrating is to listen to the "talking heads" on the tv babble on about how Christian values had no role in the founding of this country, or how faith should not play any part in how we select our leaders.

The verses I mentioned above, I'm sure most of you could catch on to the tune quickly and have it playing along in your head, but for most of us we are lost after the first verse. I admit I am just as guilty. But I wonder why that is? Have you ever read the other verses of these songs? While arguably some of these songs can lose their Christian undertones and values when only the first verse is song, it is undeniable in the latter verses! For example, here is the 4th verse of "My Country 'Tis of Thee":
"Our fathers' God, to Thee, author of liberty, to Thee we sing: Long may our and be bright, with freedom's holy light; protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!"

And have you ever heard the second stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner? I admit that I don't think I ever had. Here are the words:
"O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserves us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just; and this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave...O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?"
(did you know that there is a question mark at the end of the Star-Spangle Banner? I didn't, lol)

Even our own national anthem cries out to the thanks that was given to God for the founding of this country. How can we now say that the founders of this country were not men of faith? That they had no intention of making a country built on the values and morals that have long been the mark of Christianity? Again, that's not to say that you have to be a Christian to be an American. But the founders were building a country on the principles of their faith!

I thought it was interesting to see what the other verses of these classic American Patriotic songs said. I hope you'll take a peek for yourselves. God Bless America!!

Patriotism

So this past weekend was the 4th of July, and I'm sure everyone enjoyed taking in the smells of the neighborhood Bar-B-Q's and parades, topped off with the night skies (and neighbors yards) being lit up by hundreds of fireworks. Add to that the fact that many of you probably had a three day weekend and it makes for a great holiday! I love the patriotic holidays, I really do, maybe its because of spending time in the military, I don't know; but I always wonder why our patriotism seems to be secluded into one or two days a year. Why don't we show it all the time? Over the weekend I read many stories and blogs about the founding fathers and other patriots through the course of our countries history, and I'm hard-pressed to imagine them as being "holiday patriots." But I guess patriotism like other things is on a cycle of sorts...available at our disposal when we need it. Maybe I'm the only one frustrated by that, I don't know.

As I was thinking about the change in patriotism in this country over the years, I got to thinking about other things that have changed. And I ran across several blogs on the usual 4th of July banter, talking about whether or not America was founded by Christians, or as a Christian nation. I read many interesting blogs and stories about the founding fathers and the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Now, while you always have to take things you read on the internet with a grain of salt, and realize that most bloggers and authors have thier own agendas to fill, I searched out some of the things that were said and found some interesting truths. Many of the founding fathers and early leaders of this country were strong men of faith, and believed that what they were doing was prompted by and endorsed by God. Not only that, but there were many quotes from them concerning the relationship between God and government, and most of which came to the same conclusion: that God is and always will be a part of government, and that a nation that tries to throw Him out of it is doomed to fail. That is my own summation of a quote from John Jay, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. (see below for full quote). It just seems to me that we have lost touch with our "roots" so to speak. That we've gotten out of step with what this country was meant to be.

Anyway, I suppose I should step down off of my soap box before I make too long of a rant on here. Just thought I'd share some of what I found in my reading this weekend. I hope everyone had a great 4th! While yes, we all enjoy the BBQ's and fireworks, and extra days off from work, I hope that we keep in mind the sacrifices that have been made, and that are continuing to be made, so that we can enjoy the life we live in this great country! Here's some quotes I found, I hope you enjoy them:

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams
(To the Officers of the First Brigade of the 3rd Division of the Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1789. Adams Papers, Microfilm, reel 119 Library of Congress.)
“Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.” – Benjamin Franklin
(Burton Stevenson, The Home Book of Quotations – Classical & Modern (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1967), p.265.)
“No human society has ever been able to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness and liberty apart from the moral precepts of the Christian Religion applied and accepted by all the classes. Should our Republic ever forget this fundamental precept of governance, men are certain to shed their responsibilities for licentiousness and this great experiment will then surely be doomed.” – John Jay
(Address to the American Bible Society, May 9, 1822, in The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Vol. 4, p.484.)
“It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage . . . Before any man can be considered a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.” – James Madison
(James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance (Washington DC: Library of Congress, Rare Book Collection, delivered to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia. 1785).)
“True religion affords to Government its surest support.” – George Washington
(To the synod of the Reformed Dutch Church of North America, October 1789, Washington Papers, Library of Congress.)

“Religion and Morality are the essential pillars of Civil society.” – George Washington
(Letter to the Clergy of Different Denominations Residing in the near the City of Philadelphia, March 3, 1797.)
“From the day of the Declaration . . . they (the American people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct.” – John Quincy Adams
(John Wingate Thornton, The Pulpit of the American Revolution 1860 (New York: Burt Franklin, 1860, 1970), p.xxix.)

Quotes courtesy of Mark Beeson's blog.... www.markbeeson.com and other sites.

Also, look up Jeremiah 18:1-10...take a read

Respect!

I'm not saying he's the anti-Christ, I'm not saying he shouldn't be elected because he's black, I'm not saying he shouldn't be elected because he's a democrat, I'm not saying that he shouldn't be elected because some people think that he's secretly a Muslim and because his "former" preacher is a Black Panther-wanna be nut job. Nope, I'm not saying any of those things. I'm saying that the way I was taught is that you pay respect during the National Anthem. Not because you support the war we're in, but because you support the troops who have been sent to fight it. Not because you support the current government administration(s), but because you respect the over 200 years of sacrifice made by leaders of this country.

When I was taught to respect the flag, I was taught that when the Star Spangled Banner is played, you stand up, remove your hat, either salute, stand at attention, or place your hand over your heart. And the only words that should come out of your mouth for those short minutes should be if you are singing along! It is incredibly sad and downright disrespectful to constantly see people not removing their hats, not stopping their conversations, sometimes not even coming out of their seats when the anthem is played!

There are alot of things wrong in this country, and I readily admit that. But there are also alot things great about this country. And we are here only by the sacrifice of those who came before us, and by the Grace of God who has let us continue on. If you are finding yourself having a hard time respecting those who have paid in blood and pain for your freedoms in this country, I'm sure no one would mind if you went and tried your hand at living somewhere else. We may have alot of problems, but we're still the best thing going!

Alot of people may think that this really isn't that big of a deal, but I can tell you that for many people in the military (past and present), it speaks volumes about the man's character. Running for the highest office in this great country, he should know better!

Ok, stepping down from my soapbox, political tirade over! haha. Maybe at some point I'll post a blog about the reasons NOT to vote for Obama...which are plentiful, and have nothing to do with his race or the confusion over his religious loyalties.

Baby Borrowers

Have you seen this new NBC reality endeavor? I have to admit, I'm not a huge reality show fan, but occassionally I'll watch one or two...in the words of my good friends Shellie and Aaron, "Don't judge me." I saw the commercial for this Baby Borrowers show, and while I know that it will be edited to make for the "best" tv they can make out of it, I still thought it could be an interesting show. But what really got me was their tag line..."It's not tv, it's birth control." I thought that was pretty clever. And depending on which kids they use, birth control it probably will be.

Let me explain the show real quick for anyone who hasn't seen it or the commercials yet. Basically, they have several teenage couples that have "volunteered" to take on the challenge of raising a kid. They start with an infant, then get a toddler, then an adolescent, and so on...all the way up to the elderly. They have each one for a few days, and are completely responsible for them. Now, don't worry, the parents of the "borrowed" kids are able to watch in, and able to jump in at any time in the case of an emergency. One teen "parent" stays home taking care of the kid during the day, while the other "parent" goes to their job (picked for them by NBC).

So, I was kind of interested in seeing the show, and had some high expectations for it. I guess I should thank the networks for one thing, and that is consistency. I don't know if I was more disappointed in the show, or in my nieve hope that they it would be different from any of the other reality shows. See, here is my problem with the show. Now, I already know that there are some of you who are going to think that I'm an idiot for this even bothering me, but you'll figure out how to get over it. Each teen couple has their own house to raise this little family of their's in, well, my disappointment was this: they let the teens sleep in the same beds, and air that. Ok, maybe I'm in the minority (I'm used to it) in this opinion, but seriously? Come on people, let's at least PRETEND that we have some morals, and that we're teaching those morals to our kids! I've mentioned this to a few people, and here are the two basic responses I've gotten: 1) well they're probably already having sex anyway. 2) just because they're in the bed together, doesn't mean they're having sex.

Ok, so here's the thing, I know that statistically the couples probably are having sex, but are our moral standards so low that we are now rolling out the red carpet for them! I don't get it!

As for the second answer, I sincerely hope that they are not, and don't think that I am, nieve enough to think that two teens sleeping in the same bed together, aren't going to be messing around. Seriously, are we that dumb?! Add to that the fact that the show itself plays up the first day or two as the "honeymoon." And you honestly think they aren't messing around? Come on people, don't be stupid.

So basically, I love the idea that they are trying to show the teens (and anyone watching it as well) that raising a baby (and subsequent older ages) is NOT easy, and that they should seriously consider it before jumping into it. What I don't like is the sleeping in the same bed, as already mentioned, and also, what worries me is that the message many are going to take away from this show may very well be, "oh crap, if I get pregnant I better get an abortion, I can't handle something like raising a kid." I honestly hope that the message taken from the show would be, "oh crap, raising a kid is scary, I should keep my pants on until I can handle something like that." But I fear that's not the message NBC is going for. Anyway, if you've read this far, thanks! But do me a favor, and let me know what you think about this.

Read and repsond

So, I saw what is very rare for me...one of those survey things that I actually decided to fill out. I don't usually do them, because most of them are incredibly cheesy, and while yes, I do in fact get bored easily, I don't normally get THAT bored! Anyway, here is one that I found interesting enough to fill out, and I REALLY want to hear other people's opinions on the questions as well. So, when you have a few minutes, take a look, and respond back please! At the very least it should make for some good discussions! Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Oh, and let me apologize for its length, I may have gone a bit long on some of my answers!


Would you do meth if it was legalized?
Hmm....um...NO! What do I look stupid? Oh, and don't give me that stupid excuse of, "well if we legalize it, it will be safer and regulated." Bull! The only reason the government ever legalizes something that they made illegal is if they think they can make a buck off of it! Have you ever seen a meth addict? To make a buck off of that is just SICK!

Abortion: for or against?
So much against I don't think I could ever fully express it. Let me be blunt, keep your pants on if you don't want a kid. If not, then you take the chances, knowing what is possible. And if you get pregnant, be man enough, or woman enough, to go through with it. No one should be murdered (face it, abortion is murder, figure out a way to get over it if you think its not!) just because you can't keep your pants on and your hormones in check, not too mention can't figure out how to use protection at the very least (for those of you who are married)!

That being said, I do have sympathy for women who end up pregnant as a result of a rape. But while I think its horrible that that happens, I still don't think a child should be murdered as a result. Isn't there already enough pain? I understand you probably don't want the child because it would just be a reminder of what happened, but there are lots of people out there that would LOVE to adopt that baby...there's NO NEED TO KILL IT! And hey, if the government stopped supporting abortion, then they could take the funds they are currently using for it and pay for the medical bills incurred by the pregnancies caused by rape (and pay for the castration of the convicted rapist)

Oh, and I agree with Ryan on this one...."I'M TELLIN YOU, ABSTINENCE WORKS WONDERS."




A 2 month old child and a 65 year old man who has the cure for
cancer but hasn't had a chance to announce it yet, one of them has
to die...who should survive?
Wow...that's a tough question for me since I'd hate to see anyone die needlessly. But here goes, if the man came up with the cure for cancer, then I'm sure he has it written down somewhere, and it can be carried on by someone else. Who knows who/what the baby will grow up to be? Should give them the chance...they may change the world in ways we can't even imagine!

But you know what? Thankfully, I'm not in charge of this department!!! So I'll leave that up to God, He seems to know much better about these things than I ever could, lol!





Would our country fall with a woman president?
hmm...there's a good question.

I heard Robin Williams' take on what we think our fear is with a woman as president, and that being that every 28 days she's going to say, "Tell the Israeli's/Iranians/Russians/whoever, to go away, I can't negotiate today, I'm just going to sit here and look over the budget and watch my "stories" (soap operas)" I thought that was pretty funny....especially when Robin Williams does it.

But in all seriousness. I think there are alot of women out there who make great leaders. Now, would we fall as a country with one of them as our leader? I don't necessarily think so. You know, the Bible says that no one has authority or leadership except that God gave it to them. So if He gave leadership of this country to a woman, than so be it.

That being said...Hillary?! HECK NO!!! That crazy, liberal, socialist, appeaser would run this great country into the ground and watch it get taken over! I'm not saying God agrees, but hey, she's not in the race anymore, right? lol




Do you believe in the death penalty?
Individually I don't think we have the right to kill anyone. But I think there is precedent for the government having the authority to do so. So, my official stance is yes, if there is no shadow of a doubt that the person is guilty, then fry em! None of this stuff about 20-30 years on death row. Admittedly, there are men and women on death row who are innocent, but I'm not talking about the ones who have a legitimate case that they didn't do it. I'm talking about the ones who it is obvious they did it. Why do they get to sit around milking the tax payers dry and clogging up space for several more decades?




Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
Ok, if you know much about me at all, then you would understand why I so strongly think that the answer to this question is a resounding NO!! For my arguments about the so called benefits of legalization, see the above comments referring to meth

As for medically...I think that if it truly is valid as a pain reliever, then our medical experts can figure out a way to put that one particular ingredient into a pill or something.



Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
NO. My two theories about gays (lesbians, etc), such as my "LEGO" theory, explain why I think it is wrong.

Not to mention, marriage is a centuries old practice, and is derived from Biblical teachings. Now, I don't find anything in the Bible allowing for same sex marriage...not even something that could be construed and misinterpreted to allow it. Also, I don't know of any civilization that has allowed same sex marriage before (other countries within the last few decades not included). On that subject as well. If you look back at the "great" civilizations of the past, there was a common thread in all of them towards the end of their reign, the start of their decline. They all started to accept homosexuality as socially acceptable, even encouraged, behavior. Shortly thereafter the civilization fell, without exception. Now, I'm not saying that it was the cause of the fall, but hey, its a pretty convincing coincidence, wouldn't you say?

Now, let me say something here before I get the wrong reaction to my response. While I strongly oppose homosexuality, I don't think that that gives us the right to attack them. I feel that the Bible opposes the practice of homosexuality, but I don't think it gives me the authority to attack the person! Sin is sin in God's eyes, no matter what your sin of choice is. We are called to oppose and hate sin, but to love the SINNER! Just like God did for us! So I think the Church has taken the wrong approach to this issue, and the Kingdom has lost ground because of it. Wake up Church!




Do you think its wrong that so many Hispanics are moving to the USA?
This country was made by immigrants, so I think for us to say immigration is wrong now would be incredibly hypocritical of us. HOWEVER! All this illegal immigration nonsense has got to go! Illegals hurt our economy by taking work away from citizens (because they will work for less), and by sucking from our social programs, which by the way, amazes me that they are able to, but that's a whole different story!

If you come into this country, LEGALLY, and are trying to make a better life for you and your family, then I say more power to you! Live that American Dream!

But if you sneak in under the fence (or across the water or whatever), then you should show yourself the door before we do. If you're a business man, than man up and stop ruining our economy just to make a few extra bucks by hiring illegals. If you can't run your business using legal citizens, then I'm sorry, you probably shouldn't have a business. I know, I know, some are going to say I'm being too harsh....GET OVER IT!




A 12 year old girl has a baby..should she keep it?
Ok, what the heck is a 12 year old doing having a baby!? If this is the result of a rape, please see my above comments about abortion. OH, and definitely cut it off of the sicko who rapes a 12 year old!

If this is the result of two consenting 12 year olds, then where in the world are their parents?! I mean, holy crap! Things have sure changed because I wasn't even thinking about sex when I was 12! I know, I know, times have changed, but still....what sane parent lets their 12 year olds have sex?! Get the kid some medical help for the pregnancy, and get the parents some serious parenting help, because they SUCK AT IT!





Should the alcohol age be lowered to 18?
No. That's just dumb. Ok, I'm not against drinking as a whole. But only for people who can be responsible with it. And I am strongly against being Drunk. And lets face it, most people who drink, get drunk. And especially in the category of younger people drinking...they do it at parties, etc, and the point that they do it for is to get drunk. Come on, lets be serious, most 18 year olds who are going to drink are NOT going to be responsible about it. Please don't give me some garbage excuse about how we could then teach them more about alcohol and how to be responsible with it, etc. or any of the other liberal arguments that make no sense. QUITE BEING NIEVE!!!

Yeah, I know, teens are already drinking. So what some people are saying is basically that we should reward their illegal behavior by allowing them to drink earlier because they were already doing it anyway? Does that "logic" (term used VERY loosely!) make any freakin sense to anyone else? Its just stupid!



Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Ok, lets save ourselves a whole world of arguments, and save me alot of typing...lets just assume that we all agreed with the war at its start (lets be honest, a great majority of this country did at the time...we all wanted to see someone get bombed because of what happened on 9/11...it made us feel better). Ok, that assumption being made, now lets look at the war. Everyone's upset because of the death toll. People....it's a WAR! Guess what...people die in war. I have friends that have died in this war doing what they swore to do, and that is to fight for the safety and way of life the rest of us enjoy (many of us very unappreciatively I might add). I'm not happy they had to make that sacrifice for our sake, but they did it. Now, are you really nieve enough to think that taking our ball and going home now is going to do anything effective? Heck no! It will only enbolden the terrorists! I don't agree with the way the war has been handled, but I don't think we pull up stakes and go home. We redouble our efforts and win the battle. We do it because we love freedom. We do it because we want others to enjoy that freedom as well. And we do it because we should finish what we start and not leave a country in shambles. And this is coming from a former military guy, who was on the edge of going over himself, so don't give me that, "you don't get it" crap. I think we could all benefit from a little less consumption of our liberal democrat media reports. Do some research on your own...don't be sheep!



Do you believe in spanking your children?
Ha! Heck yeah! Sometimes I believe in spanking other people's children too, especially if they're not going to do it! What's this "time out" BS? That's not effective!

Disclaimer: DO NOT BEAT OR ABUSE YOUR CHILD! Any child abuser should be given over to the custody of the largest scariest guy you can find (in my mind people like Michael Clark Duncan [the big black guy from the movie, "The Green Mile"], or Andre the Giant (RIP) come to mind) and let them get beat to within an inch of death, so they understand what it feels like to be beat up by someone bigger than you and not able to defend yourself.

If you beat or abuse your child, you are a worthless excuse for a parent, and I hope that someone gives you a dose of what you're giving out. BUT...a spanking is an effective behavior modification incentive.

Anyone else tired of these people saying that no one should ever spank their kid? Anyone else notice that most of those people don't have any kids?! haha




A mother is declared innocent after murdering her 5 children in a temporary insanity case...opinion?
Ok, what messed up jury declared her innocent would be my first question! Last I checked, most insanity is not a temporary condition.

Note to defense attorneys: Quit being little snakes and trying to get these people off with murder using stupid quack job excuses! Try making an honest buck! I mean, I understand our legal system being an adversarial system and all, and the need for everyone to have zealous, competent representation, but seriously? Does that mean you have to stoop to such levels?!




It's between you and a person who is being kept alive by life support
machines..one has to die, who?
Why does one have to die?
Ok, that's out of my system, now....if I'm only being kept alive by tubes and machines, I've always kind of thought that would be my cue that time here is up. Let me go HOME (Heaven)! But I can't make that decision for someone else. So, it would all depend on why one of us has to die. I'm willing to give up my life for someone else's...I know where I'm going.



Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Nah, not really. I'm sure I may have offended one or two people. But it wasn't intentional, and I hope that those who disagree with me would talk to me about it rather than sulk or be angry. We'll see.

Ichthus

Ichthus 2008 has come and gone. This was my second Ichthus experience, and it was alot of fun. I have to admit, last year's seems to hold a bigger place in my heart, but I'm not sure if that is because it was my first year or because I liked the line up better. But this year was still alot of fun. 3 of the guys from the church here in Shirley joined me, and we volunteered to work so that the festival was free. Working security for the festival wasn't a bad thing, it just wasn't the most exciting way to spend 9 hours. This year's festival went a little "old school," according to some, because there were several rainstorms that came through the area. On Friday they had to cancel the evening speaker (Justin Lookado), as well as 3 concerts; Stellar Kart, Kutless, and tobyMac. The rain also forced us to seek different shelter because our tent wouldn't hold up to the winds without being staked down better, which we couldn't do because the ground was too hard. But the wonderful people from North Madison Christian Church welcomed us into their tents for the rest of Friday and Saturday as well. It was a great few days, but very tiring. I'm hoping that Chris, Paul, and Greg all had as much fun as I did.

Finally made it to Shirley

Well I finally made it here to Shirley, Indiana. For anyone who didn't already know, this is where I am doing an internship for the summer. I am the Youth Minister for the summer at the Shirley Christian Church. In the short time I've had experiences with the people here so far, they have been amazing to me. It was a frustrating situation trying to get up here because of my car situation, but that's a whole different blog, and the result in the end is that God provided and I made it here.
I was able to meet some of the adults and most of the students yesterday (between Sunday School, worship service, the pitch-in congregational lunch, and Sunday night youth group). I'm really looking forward to working with and sharing life with them over the next few months.

If you need to send me anything over the summer, mail it to:
Billy Knieriem
C/O Shirley Christian Church
PO Box 10
Shirley, Indiana 47384

My email address will still be the same, and my cell will be on, although the service in this area isn't the best. I am looking forward to a great summer here in Shirley, and excited about what God has planned!
Keep an eye on the picture albums as I'll be adding pictures as the summer goes along (I know, I know, me adding pictures is such a rare thing, but I thought I'd give it a shot! haha).
I hope everyone has a great summer!