Thanksgiving for God's Creation

 

Thanksgiving for God’s Creation

 A pediatric surgeon Bernie Siegel (b. 1932) said, “God wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings.  Just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements.  Creation is an ongoing process, and when we create a perfect world where love and compassion are shared by all, suffering will cease.”  Inevitably Siegel was putting his trust in mankind to create a perfect world.  But our world is broken because of sin.  Christians believe it will only be transformed when Jesus Christ comes again.  This has been alluded to time and time again in the New Testament.

 How should people navigate this this world?  We have to use our imagination and ask God to guide us. George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), an Irish playwright and critic wrote, “Imagination is the beginning of creation.  You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”  Believers come to know their God by meditating on his Word.  They are touched by God’s divinity, and realize they should seek his forgiveness.

 People’s Perception

 An actor and producer James Cromwell (b. 1940) said, “Often we are recreating what we think we’re supposed to be as human beings.  What we’ve been told we’re supposed to be, instead of who we authentically are.  The key about creation of full self-expression is to be authentically who you are, to project that.”  Such a gift comes by faith.  With this knowledge people walk in godly ways by doing what’s right. 

 Wise men and women have pondered the role of nature in God’s creative process.  Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), an Italian dramatist and novelist wrote, “Nature uses human imagination to lift her work of creation to even higher levels.”  With the glorious displays of trees, mountains, and streams in our environment people reflect on God’s grandiose nature.  Their minds and hearts leap to encounter these gracious blessings.

 Testament of Life

 Nevertheless life is such a powerful testament of the gifts of God.  An attorney and Freemason Albert Pike (1809–1891) said, “One man is equivalent to all Creation.  One man is a World in miniature.”  People see this phenomenon in God who is all in all.  According to scripture they were born in his image and are spiritually like him.

 How could people make a difference in the world?  There might be some disconnect about our life’s mission.  A French poet and novelist Victor Hugo (1802–1885) wrote, “One is not idle because one is absorbed.  There is both visible and invisible labor.  To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do.  The crossed arms work, the clasped hands act.  The eyes upturned to Heaven are an act of creation.”  It’s good to remember that everyone is different.  How could it be determined who is working the most?  How do people see contemplation to that of labor?  Yet contemplative meditation is necessary for promoting justice, dignity, and peace in our world.

 How do people view creation?  Who is ultimately responsible?  Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869–1942), a second president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania said, “Jehovah created the earth and therefore it is his by right of creation.”  Every aspect of life which exists is God’s gift to us.  He controls everything, and is the greatest gift of all living, and non-living things.  People always have to give thanks for his creation.      

Wear a Mask

 

Wear a Mask

Wearing a mask

Is important for saving lives

It’s easy to do

And isn’t an infringement

On an individual personal freedom

 

It’s amazing what a piece of cloth can do.

Some argue if you have difficulty breathing

You shouldn’t be wearing such a mask

But its inconvenience is minimal

 

It’s true a mask will affect how you look

But you can have fun while wearing it

Know that you will be protecting

Others from being infected with the virus

 

People wear masks of different colors

They are each designed in unique ways

Some are more sophisticated with special filters

But they should cover the mouth and nose

 

At times it’s difficult trying to keep on a mask

While trying to talk to someone

People will be unable to read your lips

But still they can understand what you say

Masks should go with social distancing

 

“God, help us during this pandemic.  Let us realize that by wearing a mask we are protecting others by not spreading the coronavirus.  Let us practice social distancing when doing so.  These two actions will go a long way in preventing the spread of the virus.”

Amen 

The Elite Media

The Elite Media

John C. Merrill wrote The Elite Press.

Noam Chomsky said, “It’s the agenda-setting media”

That sets “the framework in which everyone else operates”

 

Media like the New York Times, Washington Post,

And the Wall Street Journal are elite newspapers

CBS, NBC, and ABC are TV networks

That also comes to mind

So are PBS, CNN, and Fox News

 

But all these news sources are controlled by corporations

They are in the business of selling audiences

But there’s a difference with these news organizations

Some are considered right-wing

While others are said to lean to the left

 

Chomsky is thought of as being on the left

Bill O’ Reilly of Fox News is on the right side of the spectrum

The New York Times and CBS appeal to a privileged group -

Managers, corporate executives, and university professors

While Fox News influences right-wing 

Opinion leaders, evangelicals, and conservatives

 

Time and Newsweek stand out as magazines of prominence.

But all the elite sources are battling the rise of misinformation

That has been more prevalent throughout the Trump administration

Politico has found 70 percent of Republicans believe

The 2020 elections results between Trump and Biden to be false

But the elite press and social media are pushing to clear the air of such distortions

 

“God, grant us the insight to determine what’s true in the market place of ideas.  Help American media officials to counter all falsehood with their political stories, by presenting the facts to their audience.”

Amen       
 

Let Truth Prevail

 

Let Truth Prevail

The United States is at crossroads.

Truth is on the line.

The election of 2020 has focused on this truth.

Still dark forces continue to deny this fact.

 

More than 140-million voters have spoken.

The results are clear.

There wasn’t any massive fraud.

But still the Trump’s administration

Has decided not to recognize Biden as the winner

 

Democracy is in peril

False insinuations only undermine

The cherished ideals of the U.S. Constitution

It’s time for justice to prevail

This is necessary for peace in the land

 

Why isn’t the Trump administration accepting this reality?

People can only speculate

Is it the desire to overturn a legitimate election?

A poll shows 70 percent of Republicans support these false claims.

This fact doesn’t hover well for the nation’s democratic traditions.

But all good citizens should embrace the truth

And not fan the flames as the hypocrites do

A smooth transition of power will uphold the nation’s ideals.

 

“God help our nation as Americans see “untruths” masquerading as “truth.”  Banish from our midst all falsehoods that seek to undermine the democratic process.”

Amen   

Black Cemeteries

 

Black Cemeteries

Black cemeteries exist nationally

But some are in a state of disarray

Many are located in the South

Names like the Evergreen and the East End Cemetery 

In Richmond, VA, Magnolia in rural eastern Arkansas,

And South-View Cemetery in Atlanta, Ga,

Where Representative John Lewis was buried

 

These cemeteries were established

During the Civil War

In hazardous, hilly, and wooded terrain

And for decades Black people

Have been migrating from these sites

Moving North and West to escape racial prejudice

 

But volunteers have manned these burial plots

They did so in segregated times

And expressed pride in these undertakings

South-View Cemetery was chartered in 1886

And have Black businessmen as current board members

 

Success in endeavoring to maintain these cemeteries

Have a great deal to do with the passion

Such burial plots evoke for the volunteers

Still there are problems with maintenance

Because of lack of funds, enough volunteers,

 And having access to older cemetery records

 

“Great Emancipator, shine your light on the Black souls that are resting in these cemeteries.  Let not their lives be forgotten, but their gravesites are a memorial for future generations.”

Amen  

 

Symbol of Change

 

Symbol of Change

Change is in the air.

In America millions of voters took to the polls.

They voted for their candidates.

It’s a decision to elect the president of the United States.

And they cast their vote for a senator and congressman.

 

But voters had many things on their mind.

Some look at the character of their representatives.

Some were concerned about the economy.

Then there were those wishing for racial justice and harmony.

 

Pollsters looked at the predominant white voters.

Whether they were male or female

Their age group and identity were important.

So most pollsters focused

On the choices of white men as opposed to white women

Rich or poor, and if they live in an urban or rural communities

 

Minorities were a special concern

For they constituted a significant portion of the electorate

Many Black and Hispanic voters have different cultural identities.

Blacks are often concerned with multi-ethnic representation.

While the Cubans in Florida view the effects of socialism as important

Since many of them have taken refuge in the United States from Cuban oppression

“Loving Creator, embrace the various desires for social change amongst the diverse ethnic groups of the United States.  Guide its citizens to make good choices when they vote for their candidates on Election Day.”

Amen      

Food Waste

 

Food Waste

By 2030 some of the largest food suppliers

Have pledged to cut their food waste in half

Companies like Rice Krispies cereal, Hellmann’s mayonnaise,

And Spam have joined the 10x20x30 initiative

An effort to slash the amount of food discarded yearly

 

The process will involve companies to make annual reports

They will center on the sharing of information about food waste

As a Dannon executive stated that this would explore all options

The goal is to turn wasted foods into animal food or compost

 

Food waste has always been a sore point in the industry

And Walmart, Kroger, and Giant Foods have embraced similar pledges

They have enlisted their suppliers to commit to their plans

These food companies hope to accomplish such objectives set

By the United Nations General Assembly by 2015, to halve food waste

 

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

The supply chain throws away about 30 percent of the world’s food

This waste is a great contributor to the world’s climate change problem

This produce amounts to about 10 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions

So the food manufacturing industry is a player in climate change

 

It has been reported about 80 percent of waste food comes

From homes, manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants

These sources can do more by limiting such productions

By having consumers not toss out the excess in their daily lives

There should be a system that will enable them not to act badly

 

“Divine Provider, help food producers to curb their waste.  And let consumers realize that they have a responsibility in making more sensible decisions by the way they use their food.”

Amen