Some years ago I came upon a story about the service of the Queen Mary in World War 2. When FDR and the Congress in Joint Session declared war on both Japan and Germany in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President said:"This is a day which will live in infamy."
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain under King George VI said something entirely different: "Now we shall win! Now we shall win!!" (His country had been bombed by the German air force for years, and Churchill had been begging the USA to come join the fight, as in World War I.)
So the British Navy called home it's luxurious ocean liner of the Cunard Line, stripped it of it's furnishings, and sent it guarded by warships to New York City. Thereafter, the largest and fastest ship in the world, the Queen Mary, became an American troop transport, bringing from 10 to 16,000 soldiers to the British Isles, in a build up to D-Day in June of 1944.
Hour after hour, day after day, week after week for years the Queen Mary, always at full throttle, went to Britain loaded with soldiers, and returned empty to New York to be filled again with the kind of Yanks who had helped save them in WW I.
After the Great War, the Queen Mary returned to her former services. In 1962, Britain chose to dispose of "The Grand Old Lady", and it was sold to the City of Long Beach, CA. That is where it serves today as a fine showpiece, hotel, and event center.
But the British are quite invested personally in their ships, and this one bore the name of Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother. While in the USA, we use our old ships for target practice for our new technology.... the British, not so much. Below are links to 2 videos from 1962, that together tell the story of the sendoff of the Queen Mary, and it's arrival on the West Coast. WATCH THEM BOTH!!!
While we might think they were a little crazy, there is a reason. Watch for the band playing! Watch for the confetti and flags in the wind! Look for the British sailors on several ships standing in salute as the Queen Mary leaves Southampton. See the gray heads of the British people lining every available spot to view her departure. Remember how cold the North Atlantic is in any season! Watch for the "Flying Anchor" by their helicopters till you see it. Look for the flotilla of ships in the Long Beach harbor that accompany this massive and powerful ship to it's final destination.
WHY ALL THIS FUSS over a ship? Simply, they knew that this ship (by bringing American soldiers) helped save their lives, their country, and most of Europe from an evil dictator driving an evil political machine. Their response is just GRATITUDE for the service of one of the most faithful participants in the victories gained in the European theatre of World War II.
Maybe this will help us realize the value of those who gave so much, for so many, for so long.... You may have to highlight and then right click on the links for the option to play them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ex33OMrYyE No commentary
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IDgJ1ID-b4 Commentary by a British Newsman
A little fun trivia: The Queen Mary II has one of the two horns from the Queen Mary. On the rare occasion that the Queen Mary II visits California, the two ships greet each other with the sounding of their horns! The Queens had the deepest and lowest tones of any horns, making their sounding unique from any other ships.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Yembi Yembi People to People
http://dsr.gd/Tirp1s John Piper says this may be the best 30 minute investment of your time! I agree!
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Wedding Wonders and Wanderings
Wedding season for many couples is here!! It's been my privilege to attend, officiate, usher, be a groomsman, be Father of the Bride, be escort to the bride, help plan a wedding, write the wedding service, do premarital counseling-coaching, help clean up after a wedding, and be an impromptu wedding director through the years.
I have deliberately watched the TLC show "Four Weddings", and also seen "The Wedding Planner," "The Proposal," "Father of the Bride," and "27 Dresses".
It is always a treat to work with a young couple in preparation for their "Big Day". There have been many things I've seen, some remarkable for both good and bad impact. (Too often I've seen more preparation for the wedding, than for the marriage that's to last a lifetime.)
There will always be something that goes wrong or awry at the rehearsal dinner, at the wedding, and at the reception. For example: A hunting dog come into the chapel during rehearsal leaping over pews and chairs till he finally makes his way out! A music system fail for an outdoor wedding. Microphones that worked perfectly fail to yield any sound during the service. Sound technicians providing a handheld microphone to a Minister who required a clip on. Musicians missing their cues, playing wrong songs, soloists forgetting their words, or singing a song that was Definitely well out of their range. Brides becoming so emotional during the service they needed a embracing support hug from the minister. Ministers calling the couple by the wrong names, or switching the first letters of the couples names.
Some of the best advice I've ever been given, which I pass on is: Something WILL go wrong, don't let it ruin your day. Work with it, and go on. Watch the movies above, especially "Father of the Bride" for the FOTB! "Walk Slowly Down the Aisle." For the groom's family, and this is from an etiquette expert: "Dress Up, Show Up, and Shut Up." For everyone, ENJOY THE DAY!
I have deliberately watched the TLC show "Four Weddings", and also seen "The Wedding Planner," "The Proposal," "Father of the Bride," and "27 Dresses".
It is always a treat to work with a young couple in preparation for their "Big Day". There have been many things I've seen, some remarkable for both good and bad impact. (Too often I've seen more preparation for the wedding, than for the marriage that's to last a lifetime.)
There will always be something that goes wrong or awry at the rehearsal dinner, at the wedding, and at the reception. For example: A hunting dog come into the chapel during rehearsal leaping over pews and chairs till he finally makes his way out! A music system fail for an outdoor wedding. Microphones that worked perfectly fail to yield any sound during the service. Sound technicians providing a handheld microphone to a Minister who required a clip on. Musicians missing their cues, playing wrong songs, soloists forgetting their words, or singing a song that was Definitely well out of their range. Brides becoming so emotional during the service they needed a embracing support hug from the minister. Ministers calling the couple by the wrong names, or switching the first letters of the couples names.
Some of the best advice I've ever been given, which I pass on is: Something WILL go wrong, don't let it ruin your day. Work with it, and go on. Watch the movies above, especially "Father of the Bride" for the FOTB! "Walk Slowly Down the Aisle." For the groom's family, and this is from an etiquette expert: "Dress Up, Show Up, and Shut Up." For everyone, ENJOY THE DAY!
Friday, May 2, 2014
Singleness, Dating, Marriage, Pain, Divorce, Recovery
From the Coaching, Counseling, Parenting, and Friend roles I work in, there seems to be a quagmire of problems that affect each person involved in any of the situations in the title.
I have a motto for my single friends: "Take it Slow, Get to Know." "We dated ___ years before we married, none of this came out," is said more often than I wish when the relationship ruptures. Working with a premarital couple, we cover spiritual gifts, passions, values, personality types, many type inventories to make sure each KNOWS the person they are marrying. H. Norman Wright says that "premarital counseling is to help eliminate as many surprises as possible." Don't Skip It!!
If you are single, and roaring to marriage, please take a statistical ssslllooowww down and look: In the USA, there is a 50% chance you will be single again, (after a painful divorce.) What type "singleness" would you like to be experiencing in 5 years?
We're told the divorce statistics are in equal among Christians... but that's misleading. Among church member families where church attendance, Bible study, discipleship, and ministry are part of the life fabric, those families have a much lower divorce rate.
Too often I hear: "This is NOT the person I married, there has been a strange change in the last few years." I always suggest: "Visit your doctor....I have seen a $25 co-pay stop a $25,000+ divorce". We speak of addictions as 'chemical dependency'... we are ALL chemically dependent!! Our body temperature, memory, breathing, blood chemicals, everything is operated by chemical reactions.
I know people who have a physical problem that can render them almost unfunctional.... and it can be defeated by pills that cost $3 for a year's supply! No matter how great you feel, or young you think you are, our bodies change over time...and you just don't know what's going on inside without some testing, okay?
There is a lot of pain in divorce. God said, "I hate Divorce." If marriage is symbolic of Christ's love for the Church, His Bride, then divorce is an insult to that picture that means so much to Him. I have many friends and family members who have experienced the pain of divorce. It's no fun to walk with them and see that pain. The recovery for children as well as parents can take quite a while. Some people advise waiting 5 years before remarriage, and I've have friends advise that as truth. Dr. Kevin Leman says to single parents: "Till your children are grown, don't consider remarriage"....the stress and possible turmoil is too great.
Hope and Healing abound for any of these situations. Studies like Making Peace With Your Past, DivorceCare, Soul Healing, are all great helps. It can be helpful to talk with a few soul-mate friends, a coach, or counselor, to help you get through some of the tougher times. Bottling feelings is never helpful or healthy... they are coming out!! How a person feels (their perception), is how they are convinced things are!!
At the Relationship Center in Bartow (678-894-6545) there are resources and resourceful people to talk with about problem and difficulties. One of my personal favorite mottoes is "Change the Story" and we get to see it happen a lot. "Adding Hope to Help" is a phrase I learned in high school, and I've been drawing on it's suggestion for years.
I have a motto for my single friends: "Take it Slow, Get to Know." "We dated ___ years before we married, none of this came out," is said more often than I wish when the relationship ruptures. Working with a premarital couple, we cover spiritual gifts, passions, values, personality types, many type inventories to make sure each KNOWS the person they are marrying. H. Norman Wright says that "premarital counseling is to help eliminate as many surprises as possible." Don't Skip It!!
If you are single, and roaring to marriage, please take a statistical ssslllooowww down and look: In the USA, there is a 50% chance you will be single again, (after a painful divorce.) What type "singleness" would you like to be experiencing in 5 years?
We're told the divorce statistics are in equal among Christians... but that's misleading. Among church member families where church attendance, Bible study, discipleship, and ministry are part of the life fabric, those families have a much lower divorce rate.
Too often I hear: "This is NOT the person I married, there has been a strange change in the last few years." I always suggest: "Visit your doctor....I have seen a $25 co-pay stop a $25,000+ divorce". We speak of addictions as 'chemical dependency'... we are ALL chemically dependent!! Our body temperature, memory, breathing, blood chemicals, everything is operated by chemical reactions.
I know people who have a physical problem that can render them almost unfunctional.... and it can be defeated by pills that cost $3 for a year's supply! No matter how great you feel, or young you think you are, our bodies change over time...and you just don't know what's going on inside without some testing, okay?
There is a lot of pain in divorce. God said, "I hate Divorce." If marriage is symbolic of Christ's love for the Church, His Bride, then divorce is an insult to that picture that means so much to Him. I have many friends and family members who have experienced the pain of divorce. It's no fun to walk with them and see that pain. The recovery for children as well as parents can take quite a while. Some people advise waiting 5 years before remarriage, and I've have friends advise that as truth. Dr. Kevin Leman says to single parents: "Till your children are grown, don't consider remarriage"....the stress and possible turmoil is too great.
Hope and Healing abound for any of these situations. Studies like Making Peace With Your Past, DivorceCare, Soul Healing, are all great helps. It can be helpful to talk with a few soul-mate friends, a coach, or counselor, to help you get through some of the tougher times. Bottling feelings is never helpful or healthy... they are coming out!! How a person feels (their perception), is how they are convinced things are!!
At the Relationship Center in Bartow (678-894-6545) there are resources and resourceful people to talk with about problem and difficulties. One of my personal favorite mottoes is "Change the Story" and we get to see it happen a lot. "Adding Hope to Help" is a phrase I learned in high school, and I've been drawing on it's suggestion for years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)