Its always quite moving for me to watch the D-Day memorials and festivities, especially on the special anniversary events that are staged at the memorial in Normandy every 5 years. It was a good show today, 65 years after the invasion.I love visiting the official Presidential Libraries. They are an incredible way to learn about our history and leadership. President Eisenhower's Library is located in Abilene Kansas.
This statue of Ike is in the middle of the Eisenhower Center, which is in the middle of a wheat field, which is in the middle of Abilene Kansas, which is in the middle of nowhere.
The statue is perched upon a pedestal that has 5 sides, each one boasting official Seals of different offices this man would earn. He would become a 5 Star General, Chief of Staff of the US Army, Supreme Allied Commander, Supreme Commander of NATO, and President of the United States. Not a bad resume for a kid who grew up in the middle of nowhere.
The house he grew up in is still there, and it remains furnished mostly the way he would have remembered it. His mom lived there until a few years after the war, and they have kept the house the way she left it. There is something very interesting about seeing the roots of a person who would grow up to do amazing things.
My favorite thing in the house is a rocking chair, perched next to a radio. Its likely that this is exactly the place that Mrs. Eisenhower would sit and listen to news reports of her son's activities. In particular, she would have sat there listening to reports of D-Day, 65 years ago today.
Ike's mom, Ida, had seven sons, with Ike in the middle as the third child. All of them were successful in their own right as leaders in various institutions. Shortly after D-Day, Ida was asked by reporters on the porch of this house about the events of June 6, 1944 and the success of the invasion. When asked "Are you proud of your son?", she gave one of the best mom answers she could give. "Yes, I am very proud of my son. Now which one are you referring to?"
I love that.
Now that I am a parent, I can imagine even more how amazing and surreal it must be to see what your kid actually accomplishes. Few accomplish the things Ike did, but each kid can accomplish great things in his or her world. I am also strangely moved in a new way as I watch the D-Day festivities today and look at my newborn son, and realize that sacrifice of that day was for his freedom as well as my own.
Its a moving day, and I appreciated the ceremony today. But with respect to contemporary speakers, there is still no tribute better than President Reagan's in 1984.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt. - President Ronald Reagan, 6.6.84
It is truly a different era that we live in today. Full of doubt and threats greater than any day in the last 65 years in my view. But I believe and pray that rising from our doubt, we will soon have a renewed hope.
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2 comments:
Scott - I have always loved reading your writing. Not to give you a big head but to me you are always very clear. At the end of this article you mention doubt.. I too see doubt, lack of direction and a terrible lack of knowledge by none other than our up and coming church leaders. The excerpts here are from a current SGBC Youth Pastor--
-What about playing patriotic music in church? Is that what Jesus was talking about when he referenced serving 2 masters?
-I read on Greg Boyd’s blog about a top secret slideshow that the Bush admin. had concerning the wars and faith. Check it out here. ( who would have thought we would be going to GQ for this kind of info.?)
So what do you think? War & Christ follower? What does that look like? Where is the line? Are we God’s special chosen Nation?
-I am also sometimes confused on who we are aligning ourselves with: is it Jesus or the Republican Party? As a Christian I have to ask myself some tough questions. As followers of Jesus are we to agree with this war? Is this how Jesus would deal with this issue?
Scott, how do we change when our new breed of Pastors believe we are God's chosen Nation, that Jesus meant serving two masters was Country and him? Seriously, what can we do?
Ted Snyder
Thanks for the compliment Ted. It is a difficult time where on the one hand, it is time for the citizens of our great land to remember our purpose and roots and get involved in the process. But the trouble with the Church often is, we are more passionate about our Democracy than we are the Gospel. We fail to see that our greatest contribution to our land is seriously following Jesus in how we live and making disciples.
My view is that this is because we in the church have very little idea of what the Gospel is because we never read the Bible for ourselves. We let others teach us, we follow their teaching (we follow the teaching of people we already agree with whether they are right or wrong.) So, if their teaching is that God wants us to get people elected to office, people simply follow and think that is the way, and ridicule others who think Jesus may have a different idea.
I can't see Jesus real interested in that. Mr. "Give unto Caesar" didn't even ask people to rise up against that Roman government, the most corrupt and immoral ever. Instead, he asked us to take care of our neighbor, which has the interesting effect of not only showing people the love and grace of God and making disciples, but it also has this little appreciated side effect of bringing down tyrannical governments rather peacefully and completely.
But its easier to just get political, vote, and keep watching shows about bitter housewives and couples with 8 kids and a horrible selfish marriage... woe to us!
Good to hear from you! Hope you are still enjoying AZ.
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